China has improved its international standing by cooperating with other countries in the fight against Covid, Chinese leader Xi Jinping claimed at the Party Congress on Sunday.
China, which is the world’s only major economy to continue to enforce strict Covid controls, has won “international acclaim,” he claimed, adding that the country’s “international influence, charisma, and shaping power have been significantly improved” through its “international cooperation in the fight against the Covid pandemic.”
Massive toll of zero-Covid: China’s uncompromising pandemic policies rely on strict border controls, mass testing, mandatory quarantine, and snap lockdowns to contain outbreaks.
But the policy, which Xi defended on Sunday as having protected Chinese lives and boosted its international standing, has come at a high cost.
China is increasingly isolated on the world stage, its economy is in deep trouble — and there is rising frustration among a public that has had to endure nearly three years of financial strain, inability to travel or move freely, significant personal sacrifice, and the frightening threat of being caught up in an unexpected lockdown at any moment.
Despite all this, Xi and the Communist Party have argued that the alleged benefits of zero-Covid far outweigh those of reopening — often pointing to the high case figures and death tolls of Western countries that have reopened like the US.
Criticism of “hegemony”: Without mentioning any country by name, Xi said China would continue to “take a clear stand against all hegemonism and power politics, and unswervingly oppose any unilateralism, protectionism, hegemony, and bullying activities.”
Chinese authorities have previously repeatedly criticized what Beijing views as a US-led global hegemony and world order that needs to be dismantled.