'Need Food, Not Lockdown, Freedom' Banner Criticizing Xi Jinping in Beijing

NYT "200 Million People Quarantined to Prevent COVID-19 Spread"
Strengthened Quarantine Measures Amid Rising Cases ... Public Backlash Against 'Zero COVID' Policy

A banner criticizing President Xi Jinping was hung and then removed on an overpass in Beijing, China. The photo shows a scorched sidewalk near the overpass where the banner was believed to have been displayed. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Ahead of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party, where Chinese President Xi Jinping's third term will be decided, banners criticizing President Xi were hung and then removed in downtown Beijing.

According to AP News and the BBC on the 13th, two banners criticizing President Xi and China's zero-COVID policy were hung on an overpass in Haidian District, Beijing, that morning. One banner read, "We need food, not nucleic acid tests (China's COVID-19 tests). We need freedom, not lockdowns. We need pride, not lies. We need reform, not the Cultural Revolution. We demand voting rights, not (people's) leaders. We must become citizens, not slaves." The other banner stated, "Stop classes and strike. Remove the dictator and thief of the country, Xi Jinping."

AP News reported that related photos were posted on China's social networking service Weibo but were quickly deleted. The banner posters and posting dates are not yet known, and there have been no announcements from Chinese authorities or reports from state-run media regarding this matter.

Recently, China has been tightening its COVID-19 prevention measures as the number of new cases rapidly increases. The New York Times (NYT) reported the previous day that "up to 200 million people in China are under lockdown or quarantine to prevent the spread of COVID-19," and that "Chinese police sometimes detain those who have not undergone PCR testing for several days or even more than a week." The number of new COVID-19 cases in China was recorded at 1,890 the previous day, the highest since August 20.

Given the situation, critical posts about the harsh lockdown measures have been appearing on Chinese social media. The BBC quoted posts from Chinese netizens on Weibo, stating, "Among Chinese people, fatigue with the harsh lockdowns and zero-COVID policies, including prevention measures, is intensifying."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.