Chinese leader Xi Jinping this Sunday defended the “zero cases” strategy of covid-19 and the fight against corruption at the opening of the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).
Xi Jinping, 69, took stock of the past five years and outlined the roadmap for the next five before the roughly 2,300 delegates gathered at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
One of the main problems has been China’s epidemic prevention policy, which has resulted in the near-complete closure of national borders and the frequent closure of entire cities.
Xi said China prioritizes people’s lives and health above all else. China “greatly protected people’s safety and health and achieved significant positive results by coordinating epidemic prevention and control with economic and social development.”
The “zero cases” policy strengthened surveillance of every citizen, allowing all movements to be registered in a country already criticized for human rights violations. The authorities have made it mandatory to use an application to access public or residential places. The user must first scan the QR code, a two-dimensional version of the barcode, placed at the entrance of all buildings, as well as in public transport or taxis.
Border closures and repeated lockdowns have also curbed economic growth. The World Bank expects China’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) to grow by 2.8% this year, about half the target set by Beijing.
The People’s Daily, the PCC’s official newspaper, stressed this week that the policy is “sustainable” and that the spread of the virus would be “irresponsible”, but the economic cost of this strategy and the discontent of the population are undeniable.
The uprising sometimes goes beyond social media: This week, despite tightened security measures in the Chinese capital, a man hung two banners on a bridge in Beijing, criticizing the Chinese leader and its “zero cases” policy. One of the banners called on citizens to go on strike and oust “the traitorous dictator Xi Jinping”.
Xi also defended his anti-corruption campaign, the most extensive and intense since the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
“The fight against corruption won a landslide and was largely consolidated, eliminating the grave dangers hidden in the party, the state and the military,” he said.
According to official figures, at least 1.5 million CCP officials were punished during this campaign, launched by Xi after he came to power in 2012.
Hundreds of top regime executives were sentenced to death or life imprisonment.
The 20th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will last a week and is expected to end two decades of orderly political succession by cementing the status of current Secretary General Xi Jinping.
The most important event on China’s political agenda, which takes place every five years and brings together more than 2,000 delegates from across the country in Beijing, will also present the new formation of the CPC Politburo Standing Committee on the final day. consists of seven members, including its leader, Xi Jinping.
Xi’s appointment to a third five-year term as general secretary of the CPC and chairman of the Central Military Commission is seen by analysts as a turning point in China’s modern history.
Source: DN
