This is the edition of the newsletter China, middle land. Do you want to receive it every Friday in your email? Sign up below.
Beijing this week started a task force to contain the biggest outbreak of Covid-19 in the Chinese capital since 2020. While it is not the first time that local authorities have had to deal with the disease (and its most contagious variant, the omicron), the voluminous The number of cases is frightening because so far it has not been possible to identify who brought the virus to the city.
The outbreak began last Friday (22), with the record of contamination among 11 students at a secondary school, in addition to the accounting of another four infections, all without apparent correlation. Classes were suspended for a week, and close contacts of people with the virus had to be tested.
Since then, health authorities have identified several cases in different parts of the capital. As contact tracing failed to establish the chain of transmission, fears of widespread contamination grew. There are already more than 213 confirmed cases, 49 of which only on Thursday (28).
The announcement of the new wave of contamination caused hysteria among residents, who fear being under a lockdown similar to the one imposed in Shanghai. Over the weekend, many rushed to supermarkets and emptied the shelves, ensuring food stocks in case deliveries were compromised.
- On Monday (25), a mall in Wudaokou, district of Haidian district, was closed after the tracking system identified that a person close to an infected person had visited the place. Police and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) officials forced all customers to be tested overnight before they could go home;
- On the same day, Beijing sealed off several blocks in Chaoyang district after a few dozen cases were found there. The plan was for the lockdown in the area to last three days, but the period was renewed for another week this Thursday morning (28).
To prevent China’s political heartland from going through the same chaos as Shanghai, officials announced that all residents will have to undergo three tests by the end of Friday (29). Anyone who refuses will have their health code blocked, which virtually prevents the person from entering any commercial establishment or public facility.
Universities also tightened control of campuses. Tsinghua and PKU, the two largest institutions of higher education in China, announced that students will only be able to leave if they can prove urgent or essential needs (research, job interview or medical appointments).
Those who are not part of the academic community are prohibited from accessing the facilities, and all entry and exit requests must be submitted for review at least 24 hours in advance.
The city has ordered nightclubs, music venues, arcades and cafes in Chaoyang to be closed until further notice. Group activities such as business dinners or sightseeing tours are also banned.
why it matters: Beijing has always been much stricter in controlling the pandemic than the rest of China, especially to minimize the risk of political instability in the event of lockdowns.
The arrival of the omicron with such speed and volume surely startled the authorities. The chances of strict confinement in the coming days are high, and the city will certainly impose as many restrictions as necessary to contain transmission.
what also matters
Three Chinese professors were killed in a terrorist attack in Pakistan after a van exploded near the Confucius Institute at the University of Karachi. The attack was claimed by the separatist group Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).
The BLA is considered a terrorist organization by the Pakistani government and was founded in 2000 by former spies linked to the KGB. The group often attacks infrastructure projects and has recently targeted Chinese nationals to sabotage the Belt and Road Initiative.
The Pakistani government regretted what had happened and said it was investigating the case. On Twitter, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the country’s former foreign minister, called the attack an “attempt to sabotage Sino-Pakistani friendship and harm national economic development”.
Forty-eight percent of foreign residents in Shanghai plan to leave the city within a year. The number was confirmed by a survey carried out with 950 people in mid-April by the platform This is Shanghai.
Among those planning to leave, 31% say they want to return to their home countries, and 22% plan to move elsewhere in Asia, while 12% plan to move to Europe, 5% to Latin America and 14% to other parts. of the world.
The result worries the local education sector, as 44% of respondents work in English courses, international schools or universities.
According to This is Shanghai, the exodus of expatriates can also make it difficult for multinationals to operate. With the strict lockdown, several companies are considering leaving mainland China if they cannot contain the wave of layoffs and brain drain.
keep an eye
A member of the People’s Bank of China’s monetary policy committee, Wang Yiming said in an interview on Sunday that the country would need to adopt “stronger policies to ensure that economic growth resumes rates above 5%”. Wang mentioned the need to control Covid outbreaks in big cities, subsidize consumption for low-income families and establish supply chains in the country.
why it matters: the message was heard by the Chinese leadership. The Politburo Central Committee, the top of China’s power pyramid, held a meeting described as an “opportunity to do good economic and social work”.
to go deep
- The UFPE Center for Asia Studies and the CASS-UNICAMP Center for China Studies will hold a seminar in May to discuss food sovereignty in the Global South, with a focus on Sino-Latin American relations. The course lasts 90 hours and registration is open. (paid, in Portuguese and Spanish)
- In partnership with the publisher Cai-Cai, the BiYiNiao do Livro podcast launched an audiobook version of the work “A Menina que Amava Plantas”. Signed by the Chinese Xu Lu, the story narrates the life of Tu Youyou, a Chinese scientist who discovered the cure for malaria. (free, in Portuguese)
- If you live or travel to BrasÃlia, be sure to stop by the city’s Museum of Art to see the exhibition “Behind the Great Wall”. Until May 22, visitors will be able to see various works of contemporary Chinese art. Information here. (free, in Portuguese)
