China’s top leaders have reinforced the need to stick with the country's "COVID zero" policy, while urging officials to be more targeted with their restrictions, a move potentially aimed at optimizing the contentious approach as public discontent with lockdowns grows.
In a meeting of the new Politburo Standing Committee chaired by Chinese President Xi Jinping, the members — appointed to the supreme leadership body at last month’s Communist Party congress — called for "more decisive” measures to curb the spread of the virus so as to resume normal life and production as soon as possible, according to the Xinhua News Agency. The COVID-19 situation "remains severe” as cases keep emerging, they said.
While it’s not the first time Xi and senior leaders in China have urged cadres to be mindful of the economy in their containment measures, it’s the first public comments on the virus by the new Standing Committee. Investors have been watching for clues as to the outlook for COVID zero, which is dragging on the world’s second-largest economy with its ongoing reliance on locking down cities, mass testing and border restrictions.