Shanghai is the hotspot for COVID-19 madness

The China Letter: April 22, 2022

It took over two years, but the scenes from Shanghai are showing the worst side of how China is struggling to contain the coronavirus—or maybe just using it to further a control agenda. Read on for tales that involve Beijing trying to relate to the rest of the world, in our weekly rundown of items worth watching.

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Scenes of Shanghai

CNN International @cnni

Outcry as Shanghai sends vulnerable senior citizens into makeshift quarantine camps -- some of which are plagued by poor conditions and overcrowding, as well as shortages of medical equipment, doctors, and nurses.

cnn.itOutcry as Shanghai sends vulnerable senior citizens into makeshift quarantine campsThe men came after 2 a.m. on Tuesday in the dead of the night, banging on an apartment door in a rundown housing complex in Shanghai. When nobody answered, they pried open the lock and barged in, rousing a 92-year-old woman from her bed.

Social media posts revealed the reality of what the current lockdowns in Shanghai are doing to those herded into quarantine camps. Government notices are instructing residents to relocate to try and stop a new wave of COVID-19. The fatality rate is reportedly growing despite all the zero-COVID measures persisting in a city full of hunger and anger.

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The weight of waste

Reuters Asia @ReutersAsia

WATCH: New arrivals into Hong Kong, who are quarantined in hotels, are met by single-use plastic everywhere they turn. The city, with its zero-COVID policy, has been criticised for hurting the environment by generating excess waste reut.rs/3JTEsz5

Mountains of plastic waste are symbols of the story in Hong Kong, where quarantine policies remain under China’s thumb. Meanwhile, the campaign channel for likely next leader John Lee was shut by YouTube, which led Beijing to condemn Silicon Valley tech giants as “political tools” engaging in foreign interference.

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Xi’s working worldview

South China Morning Post @SCMPNews

‘Decoupling is unworkable’, Xi Jinping says, in call for global peace

scmp.com‘Decoupling is unworkable’, Xi Jinping says, in call for global peaceIn a thinly-veiled rebuke of the US, President Xi Jinping said ‘hegemonism and power politics will only breach global peace’, while emphasising the resilience of the Chinese economy.

President Xi Jinping stated that the time is now for China’s economy to lead the world in getting back on track. But it was more of a coded message that reiterated resistance to sanctioning Russia due to war in Ukraine. With his designs on invading Taiwan in similar fashion, Xi is reportedly watching closely for tips on how to fend off resistance.

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War worries after a pact

ABC News @abcnews

China and Solomon Islands sign security pact, says Chinese foreign ministry

abc.net.auAustralia ‘deeply disappointed’ by controversial security pact between China and Solomon IslandsChina and Solomon Islands have signed a framework agreement on security cooperation — a deal Australia, New Zealand and the US fear could open the door to a Chinese naval base in the South Pacific.

A new security pact with the Solomon Islands has alarmed Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. due to fears that China will leverage it to open a naval base in the South Pacific. The surrounding secrecy caught diplomats off-guard when it was leaked online in March. But the Solomons say the deal was conducted “with our eyes open” despite the criticism.

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Panda diplomacy lives

CBS Evening News @CBSEveningNews

Giant pandas at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C. got a special treat Saturday to celebrate the 50 year anniversary of when they arrived from China in April of 1972.

Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing arrived at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., in April 1972 as a gift from China to First Lady Pat Nixon—after her president husband paid his famous visit to the People’s Republic. Since then, giant pandas have been a feature attraction of the zoo, although current couple Mei Xiang and Tian Tian are slated to return home next year.