TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Swedish cartoonist created this illustration to mock the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) dual-pronged strategy of lifting zero-COVID restrictions, while cracking down on recent nationwide protests over the epidemic prevention policy and regime of CCP Chairman Xi Jinping (習近平).
After three years of harsh lockdowns, mass testing, and intrusive COVID-tracking apps, frustration among Chinese citizens has reached a breaking point and mass protests erupted across the country in late November. Protestors holding up blank pieces of paper called for an end to zero-COVID restrictions, demanded freedom of speech and for the CCP and Xi to step down.
About one week later on Dec. 7, China announced that it was loosening key zero-COVID measures, such as the end to mandatory mass PCR testing, quarantines, and lockdowns. However, over the same period, Chinese authorities tracked down people who had taken part in the protests and held many of them in detention for long periods of time under allegedly harsh conditions.
Swedish journalist Jojje Olsson posted an article on his news blog Kinamedia on Monday (Dec. 12) titled "Satire: China replacing zero-COVID with usual restrictions" and included an illustration by Swedish artist Niklas Eriksson (@KluddNiklas). Olsson said it was "hardly freedom that awaits the Chinese people" after the "Da Bai" (大白), enforcers in white hazmat suits clear from the streets.
Given that protesters were also calling for basic rights such as freedom of speech, Olsson predicted the "current state of affairs are unlikely to make every single protester happy." He added, "It would not be surprising if the protesters again in similar fashion expressed their discontent with any of the other restrictions that continue to limit their rights," even after the end of zero-COVID.
To see the full-sized version of the illustration, click on the image below:
