NEW DELHI: What does one make of the wave of protests that engulfed China’s many cities, including Beijing and Shanghai? Were these only about the brutal Covid related lockdowns or did it have wider political implications? From her vantage position in Taiwan, Shikha Aggarwal, a research fellow at National Chengchi University, speaking on The Gist, pointed out that the protests were abating. Reports suggest barriers have been erected by police in Beijing and Shanghai and people are deleting text messages from their mobile phones to avoid trouble with the authorities. It would seem then that the protests were largely driven by resentment over the Covid curbs, so does that mean President Xi will not persist with his Zero Covid policy? It seems unlikely she says although some relaxations are evident. As to the larger question of how this would impact Xi’s presidency, the jury is still out on that. Tune in for more in this chat on the Gist.
