Police in northeastern China said that seven people have been arrested following a clash between residents and authorities enforcing COVID-19 quarantine restrictions.The violence comes as China reports new cases nationwide, with 2,230 cases reported Tuesday in the southern manufacturing and technology hub of Guangzhou.While the numbers remain relatively low, China has relentlessly pursued its strict “zero-COVID” policy of quarantines, lockdowns and daily or near-daily compulsory testing.A news release from the police department in the Shandong city of Linyi said public security would take strong measures against those who “illegally violated the legal rights of personal protection of citizens.”TAIWAN SCRAMBLES JETS, MISSILE SYSTEMS AFTER DETECTING 11 CHINESE AIRCRAFT, VESSELS NEAR ISLANDAnti-pandemic measures have prompted backlashes across the country, forming a rarely seen challenge to Communist Party authority. It wasn’t immediately clear who was arrested after the clash. News of the arrests appeared on social media Tuesday morning, but were erased by the country’s censors before noon.
People use their smartphones to scan the health check QR codes before getting their routine COVID-19 throat swabs at a coronavirus testing site in Beijing, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.
(AP Photo/Andy Wong)Chinese leader Xi Jinping has made “zero-COVID” a hallmark of his administration, which gained a boost last month after he was granted a third five-year term in power and promoted loyalists to top positions.CHINA’S XI URGES UKRAINE PEACE TALKS WITH GERMANY’S SCHOLZThose include the former party leader of Shanghai, where a draconian lockdown over the summer led to food shortages, confrontations with authorities and severe disruptions to global supply chains that have grown dependent on Chinese manufacturing and shipping.
A worker in a protective suit guides people to scan QR health code before taking a COVID-19 test at a testing booth, in Beijing, China Oct. 27, 2022.
(Reuters/Tingshu Wang)While the rest of the world has mostly opened up, China has taken only highly cautious minor steps, with its borders still largely closed and officials under heavy pressure to enforce restrictions.SOUTH KOREA HALLOWEEN STAMPEDE: HEARTBREAKING IMAGES SHOW VICTIMS’ BELONGINGS FILLING ‘LOST AND FOUND’China reported its trade shrank in October as global demand weakened and anti-virus controls weighed on domestic consumer spending. Exports declined 0.3% from a year earlier, down from September’s 5.7% growth, the customs agency reported Monday. Imports fell 0.7%, compared with the previous month’s 0.3% expansion.
A woman wearing a mask carries a child past workers decorating a display celebrating the upcoming 20th Party Congress to be held in Beijing, Monday, Oct. 10, 2022. Chinese cities were imposing fresh lockdowns and travel restrictions after the number of new daily COVID-19 cases tripled during a weeklong holiday, ahead of the major Communist Party meeting in Beijing next week.
(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)Speculation about a possible relaxation of “zero-COVID” roiled markets, but the government has kept its plans, including the possibility of importing foreign vaccines, a closely held secret. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Last week, access to the industrial zone where a factory that manufactures Apple iPhones is located was suspended for one week following a surge in infections in Zhengzhou and the departure of workers from the factory. Many climbed fences and walked along highways to avoid being placed in quarantine centers where food, sanitation and privacy standards have been heavily criticized.Apple announced Sunday that customers will have to wait longer to get its latest iPhone models, saying the Foxconn factory in the central Chinese city Zhengzhou is “operating at significantly reduced capacity.”
Source link
