Douglas V. Gibbs
Author, Speaker, Instructor, Radio Host
Protests have broken out in China’s far western Xinjiang region, in the latest demonstration of public anger towards the country’s zero-Covid policy and strict lockdown rules. Crowds chanted ‘End the lockdown’ at hazmat-suited guards following a fire in a high-rise building that killed 10 people in Urumqi, Xinjiang’s capital. According to users on Chinese social media, the lockdown hampered escape efforts, but authorities strongly deny this. The Chinese government says it will continue a zero-Covid policy despite protests and a mounting toll on the economy.