Chinese cities announce further easing of COVID-19 curbs - CNA

BEIJING: More Chinese cities including Urumqi in the far west announced easing of coronavirus curbs on Sunday (Dec 4), as China tries to make its zero-COVID policy more targeted and less onerous after unprecedented protests against restrictions last weekend.

Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang region and where the protests first erupted, will reopen malls, markets, restaurants and other venues from Monday, authorities said, ending strict lockdowns after months.

There was no sign of any significant unrest this weekend, although police were out in force in the Liangmaqiao area of Beijing and in Shanghai around Wulumuqi Road, which is named after Urumqi. Both sites saw protests a week ago.

A deadly fire last month in Urumqi sparked dozens of protests against COVID-19 curbs in over 20 cities after some social media users said victims had been unable to escape the blaze because their apartment building was locked down. Authorities denied that.

The protests were an unprecedented show of civil disobedience in mainland China since President Xi Jinping took power in 2012.

In the days since, numerous cities have announced the easing of lockdowns, testing requirements, and quarantine rules.

Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, who oversees COVID-19 efforts, said last week the ability of the virus to cause disease was weakening - a change in messaging that aligns with what many health authorities around the world have said for more than a year.

China is set to further announce a nationwide easing of testing requirements as well as allowing positive cases and close contacts to isolate at home under certain conditions, people familiar with the matter told Reuters last week.

RULES LIFTED

For the time being, steps to ease restrictions have varied across the country.

From Monday, people in Shanghai will no longer have to show a negative COVID-19 test to take public transport and visit parks, authorities announced on Sunday.

Earlier on Sunday, the city of Nanning, capital of the southern region of Guangxi, cancelled a requirement for a negative COVID-19 test to take the subway.

On Saturday in Beijing, authorities said the purchase of fever, cough and sore throat medicines no longer required registration. The restriction had been imposed because authorities believed people were using the medication to hide COVID-19 infections.

Authorities in various districts in the capital have in recent days announced that people who test positive for the virus can quarantine at home.

Some inconsistencies as the restrictions are eased have angered people, including a requirement in some places for a negative COVID-19 test even though mass testing centres were closing.

In Beijing and Wuhan city, where the virus first emerged in late 2019, that caused lengthy queues at the few remaining testing booths.

"Are they stupid or just plain mean?" one social media user asked. "We shouldn't shut down COVID-19 testing stations until we get rid of the COVID-19 test pass."

New daily case numbers dropped nationwide to 31,824, authorities said on Sunday, which may be due in part to fewer people being tested. Authorities also reported two new COVID-19 deaths.

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2022-12-04 06:54:02Z
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Beijing, Shenzhen loosen more COVID-19 curbs as China easing gathers pace - CNA

FURTHER REDUCTIONS COMING

China is set to further announce a nationwide reduction in testing requirements as well as allowing positive cases and close contacts to isolate at home under certain conditions, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters earlier this week.

Xi, during a meeting with European Union officials in Beijing on Thursday, blamed the mass protests on youth frustrated by years of the COVID-19 pandemic, but said the now-dominant Omicron variant of the virus paved the way for fewer restrictions, EU officials said.

Officials have only recently begun to downplay the dangers of Omicron, a significant change in messaging in a country where fear of COVID has run deep.

On Friday, some Beijing neighbourhoods posted guidelines on social media on how positive cases can be quarantined at home, a landmark move that marks a break from official guidance to send such people to central quarantine.

Still, the relief has also been accompanied by concerns, especially from groups who feel more exposed to the disease.

And many analysts say they still don't anticipate a significant reopening until at least after March next year, citing China's need to achieve results in a vaccination drive targeting the elderly that it just launched.

Estimates for how many deaths China could see if it pivots to a full reopening have ranged from 1.3 million to more than 2 million though some researchers said the death toll could be reduced sharply if there was a focus on vaccination.

"None of this should be interpreted as a fundamental shift away from the zero-COVID policy but rather an effort to make it more streamlined and less costly. The goal is still to get cases back close to zero," Capital Economics said in a note, referring to the recent fine-tuning of policy.

"The alternative of letting the virus spread widely before more of the elderly are vaccinated and healthcare capacity has been ramped up would result in a higher death rate than in many Asian countries that reopened earlier, undermining China’s zero-COVID success," they said.

China reported 32,827 new local COVID-19 infections for Dec 2, down from 34,772 a day earlier. As of Friday, China reported 5,233 COVID-related deaths and 331,952 cases with symptoms. 

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2022-12-03 06:34:00Z
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Anwar unveils Malaysia Cabinet; Ahmad Zahid and Fadillah Yusof to serve as his deputies - CNA

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Friday night (Dec 2) unveiled his Cabinet line-up, with Barisan Nasional’s (BN) Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Gabungan Parti Sarawak’s (GPS) Fadillah Yusof serving as his deputies. 

Mr Anwar will also serve as the finance minister, while Mr Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz will serve as the trade minister. 

The defence and economy portfolios will be held by Mr Mohamad Hasan and Mr Rafizi Ramli respectively. 

Mr Anthony Loke will be the transport minister while Mr Mohamad Sabu will serve as the agriculture minister. 

Other key portfolios, including health, home affairs and education will be held by Dr Zaliha Mustafa, Mr Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and Mrs Fadhlina Sidek respectively. 

Ahmad Zahid and Mr Fadillah will also serve concurrently as rural development minister as well as plantation industries and commodities minister respectively.

The ministers will be sworn in on Saturday at 3pm.

In a televised address on Friday night, Mr Anwar said: "After swearing in tomorrow, I will hold a special meeting with the ministers so that some rules, directions, new methods can be introduced in order to speed up the efforts in carrying out their duties." 

Mr Anwar also stressed that in his unity government, the issues of good governance, easing the people's burden and economic development will be the top priorities.

The line-up unveiled by Mr Anwar comprises 28 ministers, which is leaner than the recent Cabinet teams helmed by Mr Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Mr Muhyiddin Yassin. The list of deputy ministers has yet to be announced. 

Under the Ismail Sabri administration, there were 31 ministers and 38 deputies.

Mr Muhyiddin, meanwhile, had a Cabinet of 32 ministers and 38 deputies.

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2022-12-02 12:32:49Z
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'Don't yell that': Fears compete with calls for 'freedom' at China protests - CNA

"BRIDGE MAN"

Public criticism of Xi or the Communist Party is exceedingly rare.

"The average Chinese person knows it's extremely dangerous to question the rule of the Communist Party or Xi Jinping by name in any public context," said Delury.

"There's a very strict regime of censorship that relies a lot on self-censorship, but the iron hand of repression is there to enforce it," he said.

Shortly before a Communist Party congress in October, when Xi secured a third term, a man hung banners criticising Xi and COVID-19 controls from a Beijing bridge before police bundled him away.

His act made headlines and earned him the nickname "Bridge Man". Some protesters told Reuters they were inspired by his courage and the words on his banners came up in chants.

But many on the streets seemed determined to show authorities they knew the limits of their defiance.

"Even though everyone wanted Xi to step down, the main speaker knew what to say, and told the police that we were all on the same side, and stopped onlookers shouting anything about stepping down," said Beijing resident Philip Qin, 22, who watched Sunday's events.

Demonstrators also stressed that no "foreign forces" or "organisations" were behind them and they had turned out spontaneously, according to a Reuters witness.

China blamed pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong in 2019 in part on foreign meddling.

"By declaring that they are spontaneous, they are signalling to the government that they know where the red line is and have not crossed it," said Diana Fu, associate professor of political science at the University of Toronto.

In Beijing, Qin said he did not want to see things go too far but was also proud of the courage of those who came out and believed it had an impact.

"I hoped the crowd could stay safe and not ask for things that were too out of line," he said.

"The world will know about us ... I think it will have a huge impact on COVID-19 prevention measures to come."

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2022-12-02 09:18:48Z
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Scattered easing of COVID-19 curbs across China after week of unrest - CNA

BEIJING: Some communities in Chinese cities where COVID-19 is still spreading are easing off on testing requirements and quarantine rules in a marked shift in virus policies after widespread protests across the country.

China is set to announce an easing of its COVID-19 quarantine rules in the coming days and a reduction in mass testing, sources told Reuters, even as cases nationwide remain near record highs.

Some cities lifted some district lockdowns this week, as Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, who oversees COVID-19 efforts, said the ability of the virus to cause disease was weakening.

The new message aligns with what health authorities around the world have said for more than a year but contrasts sharply with China's consistent warnings throughout the pandemic over how deadly the disease was.

The policy shift comes after anger over the world's toughest curbs fuelled protests unprecedented in mainland China since President Xi Jinping took power in 2012.

China's COVID-19 policies have taken a significant toll on its economy, choking everything from domestic consumption, to factory output, to global supply chains, and causing severe stress for hundreds of millions of people.

While government authorities in cities that have lifted lockdowns did not mention the protests in their announcements, national health officials have said China will address the "urgent concerns" expressed by the public.

On the ground, however, some communities in Beijing and elsewhere have already allowed close contacts of people carrying the virus to quarantine at home, while some shopping malls in the capital have reopened from Thursday (Dec 1). 

One residential community in east Beijing on Friday sent a notice to say those who have "no social activities" no longer need to get tested regularly "to reduce the risk of crowding".

"Long-term homebound elderly, home-based workers and students, infants and young children who have no social activities in the city can be excluded from community nucleic acid screening if they do not need to go out," a notice read.

Several testing booths in the area have stopped operating and the numbers of those getting tested have dropped 20-30 per cent, a testing staff member said. Still, the park nearby remained closed, while restaurants and cafes only sold takeaway.

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2022-12-02 06:23:24Z
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China protests explode 'harmonious society myth': Tiananmen leader - CNA

TOKYO: Demonstrations in China sparked by tough anti-Covid policies explode the "myth" of a "harmonious society" and reveal deep discontent with Beijing's rulers, a leader of the Tiananmen Square protests said on Thursday (Dec 1).

Wang Dan, who was jailed and then exiled after the 1989 Tiananmen pro-democracy movement was crushed, told reporters in Japan that the string of protests also proved that younger Chinese are not politically apathetic.

"In the past 30 years there's a myth that the younger generation or middle class were really satisfied about the government, but these protests show us the truth," he said, speaking in Tokyo.

"So this is a big significance of this movement, it reveals the truth. The truth is that it's not a harmonious society ... there's already a lot of conflict between society and the government."

Wang said he believed the unrest would continue, and could signal a new "protest era."

Anger over China's zero-Covid policy - which involves mass lockdowns, constant testing and quarantines even for people who are not infected - demanded wider political reforms, with some even calling for President Xi Jinping to stand down.

"The first feeling that came to my mind when I witnessed the incredible protests across China was the spirit of 1989 has come again, after 33 years," Wang said.

"Watching videos of Chinese university students chanting 'give me liberty or give me death' has brought me tears and hopes," he said.

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2022-12-01 09:59:51Z
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China police deploy high-tech tools to crush protests - CNA

CRACKDOWN

Wang has received over 20 calls in recent days from protesters or people whose friends and relatives have been detained. Most detentions she was told about lasted under 24 hours.

Protesters who contacted Wang for help have been targeted too, she said.

In Shanghai, police have confiscated the phones of all those she was in touch with and who were summoned for questioning, "perhaps to extract all their data", she added.

Callers from Guangdong told Wang that their accounts on the encrypted Telegram messaging app were hacked after they registered ID documents with police en route to a protest.

Some friends of detained Beijing protesters also told her they saw their friends' Telegram accounts active while they were in custody, suggesting police may have been accessing them.

WIPING OUT THE EVIDENCE

Encrypted protesters' chat groups - only accessible in China with illegal VPN software - are on high alert for police infiltrators as news spreads of further arrests and intimidation.

Participants have been urging each other to wipe all evidence of the protests - including chat histories, videos and photos - from their phones in anticipation of police checks.

One Beijing resident told AFP that two friends who attended protests in Shanghai and Beijing were detained on Sunday (Nov 27) and Tuesday respectively.

The Shanghai protester was released on Monday evening but their phone remains in police hands, he said, asking to remain anonymous for safety reasons.

On highly surveilled Chinese social media apps, any users posting protest content can be easily tracked down as platforms require real-name registration.

"Phone and social media sweeps are likely ongoing in physical spaces and virtual communities," said Rui Zhong, a China analyst at the Wilson Center in Washington.

AFP journalists saw multiple police officers filming protesters with small handheld cameras at Sunday's Beijing rally.

One protester told AFP that she and five friends were called by local police after they attended Sunday's rally at a riverbank in the city's embassy district.

She later told AFP she was summoned to the police station Tuesday to write a declaration of what happened, but got turned away after not having a recent COVID-19 test result.

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2022-12-01 08:51:00Z
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