By Nick Squires
January 1, 2023 —
Xi Jinping suggested it was acceptable for citizens to disagree with China’s government in his first public remarks since protests prompted a U-turn on Beijing’s zero-COVID policies.
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a New Year address in Beijing, on Saturday, December 31. AP
In his televised New Year’s address, China’s president called for unity as the battle against the pandemic entered a “new phase”.
He praised healthcare workers for “bravely sticking to their posts” and said the government had “adapted” its COVID response while following the science.
Beijing lifted swaths of coronavirus restrictions three weeks ago after anti-lockdown protests in major cities.
“Everyone is holding on with great fortitude,” Xi said, “and the light of hope is right in front of us.”
As he called for unity, the 69-year-old appeared to endorse divergent views on major policy issues. “Ours is a big country,” he said. “It is only natural for different people to have different concerns or hold different views on the same issue.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) appear on screen during a meeting via video link in Beijing on Friday, December 30. AP
The remarks contrasted with Beijing’s censorship of online criticism of the government’s COVID response.
Yesterday, a popular video highlighting the difficulties facing ordinary people during lockdowns was removed from social networking site Weibo.
The public has also been blocked from sharing videos related to the wave of new infections.
Clips of long lines outside funeral homes, overwhelmed ICUs and patients being treated on the road outside hospitals have fuelled global concern.
International experts are sceptical of the official data – on Friday, for instance, China reported just one COVID death.
British-based health data firm Airfinity said on Thursday about 9000 people in China were probably dying each day from the virus. Cumulative deaths since December 1 have likely reached 100,000, with infections totalling 18.6 million, it said.
Xi largely avoided addressing the other major problems facing China, including a slowing economy, unemployment and tensions with the US.
However, he alluded to the war in Ukraine by saying “the world is not at peace”.
On Friday, Xi held a virtual meeting with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, in which he was quoted as describing the Ukraine war as a “crisis”.
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