And his firm zero-COVID policy had largely contained a pandemic that had battered the U.S. and Europe. Longtime aide and Shanghai party chief Li Qiang was favored to join the topmost ranks of China’s Politburo Standing Committee later this year. But the city’s chaotic lockdown has spurred some of the most vocal criticism of Xi’s zero-COVID policy yet, casting doubts over Li’s career. “China needs Putin to be in power,” said Victor Shih, associate professor at UC San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy. Similarly, objections to China’s zero-COVID policy have been censored, including stories of death, suffering and hardship in Shanghai.

Source: Los Angeles Times May 13, 2022 15:48 UTC