The United States supports the right of individuals to peacefully protest in China, Washington declared on Monday, November 28, as demonstrators in numerous Chinese cities have recently protested against harsh COVID-19 regulations.
Chinese police increased security at the locations of weekend rallies in Shanghai and Beijing on Monday after demonstrators in those cities, as well as those in other Chinese cities, and on dozens of university campuses, made an effort to act civilly.
US vs. China
The conflict between the two largest economies in the world has changed as a result of how Beijing and Washington have responded to the coronavirus pandemic.
Beijing’s zero-COVID policy has kept China’s official death toll below a million, compared to more than a million in the US, but at the expense of forcing many millions of people to spend extended periods at home. The economy of China has been severely disrupted and damaged as a result.
The opposition to COVID limitations is a setback for China’s efforts to eradicate the virus, which is infecting record numbers as a result of large portions of people giving up their money, mobility, and mental health to stop it from spreading.
Xi has presided over the suppression of dissent and the growth of a sophisticated system of social surveillance, which has increased the difficulty and danger of protest.
READ MORE: How Believing That Covid-19 Is A Hoax Could Be A Gateway Drug To New Conspiracies
Chinese Protests
An expanding global movement supporting Chinese protesters opposing their nation’s zero-COVID policy has extended to numerous American institutions, sparking anti-lockdown demonstrations
In recent days, students from Columbia, Duke, North Carolina, and the University of California, Berkeley, gathered for rallies in support of Chinese protesters, according to a report from France 24, showing their solidarity with a populace whose resentment has reached a boiling point due to more than two years of stringent COVID-19 prevention measures.
At demonstrations in Berkeley, California, people shouted Free China! and Xi Jinping, stand down! One demonstrator had a sign that said Death to the tyrant and featured a drawing of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The incidents on the campus of an American institution occurred as Chinese authorities mounted a strong law enforcement reaction to nationwide protests that began last week and grew more intense over the weekend, mostly at least temporarily reestablishing order in Beijing and Shanghai on Tuesday.
READ MORE: iPhone Maker Foxconn Rocked by Largest Protests at COVID-19-Hit Plant in China; Here’s Why!