{"id":10294,"date":"2022-05-27T07:30:46","date_gmt":"2022-05-27T07:30:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/?p=10294"},"modified":"2025-04-23T09:39:48","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T09:39:48","slug":"inside-chinas-zero-covid-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/inside-chinas-zero-covid-strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside China’s Zero Covid Strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"

The zero Covid strategy is here to stay and companies are going to have to adapt to manage its unpredictability if they want to stay ahead in the market \u2013 but what is China’s end game? And what impact is it likely to have on real people as the policy drags on, ask CBBC\u2019s policy team, Joe Cash<\/strong> and Torsten Weller.<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

\u201cOur prevention and control strategy is determined by the Party’s nature and mission, our policies can stand the test of history, our measures are scientific and effective,<\/span>\u201d said state media after a meeting of the Communist Party\u2019s governing Politburo Standing Committee on May 5th. Reading between the lines: the Party considers Covid to be an existential threat, not just to itself and its rule, but, as far as the government is concerned, the continuation of the Chinese nation-state. That is the logic informing China\u2019s zero Covid strategy, and it goes a long way in explaining why the policy will not be disappearing anytime soon.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"launchpad<\/a><\/p>\n

There has been some public debate in China surrounding whether the country should <\/span>\u8eba\u5e73<\/span> (tang ping) or \u2018lie flat\u2019, and accept that choosing to live with the virus risks a surge in Omicron cases that would overwhelm China’s intensive care unit capacity by as much as fifteen times. These voices are quickly quashed by the politics, however, as faith in the Party trumps science.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This Policy Update explains the rationale behind the Party\u2019s decision to stick with a zero Covid strategy while shedding light on how it is changing everyday life in the country.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n