China's Guangzhou witnesses massive protests amid stringent zero-covid restrictions
Nov 16, 2022
Guangzhou [China], November 16 : China's Guangzhou has been facing severe protests by residents due to extreme zero-covid measures as the sprawling port city is a major trading hub of China but is now under a livelihood crisis due to lockdowns.
A major financial centre in the Asia Pacific, the lives of the residents in Guangzhou city have become miserable as a result of which people have started peaceful protests in the city, according to Investigative Journalism Reportika.
Several videos have been circulated online in which agitated protesters are seen crashing through lockdown barriers and overturning a police vehicle in the Haizhu district late on Monday. Despite efforts of local authorities to tackle the protests, people continue to protest violently all around the city.
As per Investigative Journalism Reportika, the authorities are trying to curb the protests with the use of force and outright violation of human rights. Around 15 people are reported missing after the Monday protests and several have been killed across the metropolis.
Notably, Guangzhou has been the centre of Covid outbreaks in China, with the number of cases surging every single day and is home to nearly 19 million people.
Due to strict covid policies across China, the country's economy is only deteriorating.
Some of China's economic downtown could likely be due to the zero-COVID policy, which appears to have no end as cities in China continue to be under lockdown due to COVID-19 cases. The lockdown imposed by Chinese authorities has affected businesses and people's livelihoods, impacting both supply and demand.
China's COVID-19 measures have resulted in distrust and outcry towards local officials and raised doubts about the zero-COVID policy. The party congress has hinted that the COVID policy will continue in China and the party official responsible for lockdowns in Shanghai was given the second most powerful post in the party. As per the report, COVID testing now accounts for up to 1.3 per cent of China's GDP and 7.2 per cent of public revenue.
