China's leaders said they would not waver from their zero-Covid policy,
state media reported Thursday, echoing a vow last week to
"unswervingly" stick to the strategy.
اضافة اعلان
China is the last major economy wedded to a policy of extinguishing
outbreaks as they emerge, imposing snap lockdowns, mass testing and lengthy
quarantines despite the widespread disruption to businesses and international
supply chains.
President Xi Jinping presided over a meeting with the Chinese Communist
Party's newly appointed top decision-making body, which vowed
to "unswervingly implement" strict Covid-19 prevention rules,
state broadcaster CCTV reported Thursday.
"The meeting emphasized that it is necessary to... unswervingly implement
the strategy of defending against importing foreign virus cases," CCTV
said.
The statement echoed comments by National Health Commission spokesperson Mi
Feng on Saturday that China would "unswervingly" stick to zero-Covid.
China is fighting its biggest wave of locally transmitted cases in six
months, with nearly 9,000 infections reported Thursday.
During the meeting, party leaders urged local officials not to "adopt a
one-size-fits-all" strategy for pandemic prevention.
Zero-Covid has prompted rare public outrage from residents over food
shortages and delayed emergency medical care for those under lockdown.
Last week, authorities issued a rare apology after a three-year-old boy died
of carbon monoxide poisoning when medical care was delayed because of a
lockdown.
Ninety-five new infections were reported Thursday in Beijing, where schools
have been closed in the downtown district of Chaoyang since Monday. Some
companies have asked staff to work from home temporarily.
Zero-Covid has also left businesses reeling from sudden disruptions and
consumers reluctant to spend.
Organisers of China's biggest car show said Thursday that this year's event
has been cancelled due to Beijing's surge in cases.
The biennial Beijing auto show attracts both international and domestic
carmakers and is often used as a launchpad for new products.
"Facing severe challenges for the country's epidemic prevention and
control, (we) have decided not to hold the auto show in 2022," organiser
Auto China said in a post on its official WeChat account.
"The specific date for the exhibition will be announced separately when
available," it said.
The trade show was first scheduled for April before being postponed until
further notice when a Covid outbreak hit the Chinese capital.
China is the world's largest automobile market but sales growth has slowed
in recent months as Covid restrictions and fears over a cooling economy have
dampened demand.
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