Monitoring Desk
BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday called for unity, and more efforts as the country enters a new phase in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. Xi said this in his first public comments on coronavirus since his government changed course and relaxed its strict restrictions and mass testing policy.
In a televised address to mark the New Year 2023, President Xi said China had overcome unprecedented challenges in the battle against the pandemic and that its policies were adjusted when the situation needed.
“Since the pandemic outbreak, the majority of cadres and masses, especially medical personnel, grassroots workers braved hardships and courageously preserved,” Xi said.
“At present, pandemic prevention and control are entering a new phase, yet it is a time of struggle; everyone is working hard and persevering, and the dawn is ahead. Let’s work harder, unity means victory, and persistence means victory.”
Chinese President new year pledge
China earlier this month scrapped its signature zero-COVID approach based on mass testing, centralized quarantine, and lockdowns, which it had maintained for nearly three years.
The policy change has led to a wave of infections across China, a further drop-in economic activity, and international concern, with France and Britain becoming the latest nations to impose restrictions on travellers from China.
China’s decision to scrap the zero-COVID policy aligned it with a world that has largely reopened to live with the coronavirus.
The step followed widespread public protests over the policy championed by President Xi, marking the strongest show of public defiance in his presidency and coinciding with grim growth figures for the Chinese economy.
