Mark Lewis: China’s New COVID Problem—How Will It Affect America?

China has relaxed its zero-Covid policy, and the country is now experiencing an explosion in Wuhan virus cases.  Since the relaxation of the policy, I’ve had eight of my nine online Chinese students either quarantined for fear of the virus, or come down with it themselves, thus necessitating a cancellation of class.   The government’s zero-Covid policy prevented the virus from spreading, which sounds good, except people were not able to build up natural immunity to it, as in most other countries.  China now has to deal with the same problems that every country has.

At the end of October, shortly after Xi Jinping was rescinded from the zero-Covid Policy, I wrote the following article.  “It is important to realize that much of the lockdown tyranny in China this year was designed to intimidate Xi’s political enemies in advance of the 20th Chinese Communist Party meeting held this month [October].  Now that Xi has obtained the power he’s craved, how long he will continue this lockdown policy depends totally on how secure he feels.  Frankly, it probably won’t last much longer…”

And it didn’t.  I am more convinced than ever now that the lockdown policy across China was never intended for the health of the Chinese people, but was only to cower and intimidate Xi’s political opposition. “Here’s what happens when you mess with me.”  Xi got what he wanted, and now the purpose of the lockdowns has ceased.  He couldn’t care less how many Chinese people die from Covid.  He does have to worry somewhat about his economy; a severe slowdown of China’s economic growth could limit his military buildup.  However, the hoi polloi could still see him as a loser and still have a billion.