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China reprimands WTO chief for ‘irresponsible’ comments

China’s Foreign Ministry has called on the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tantros Adanom Gebregesus, to refrain from making “irresponsible” comments, saying that China’s zero-sum policy is not sustainable. .

Speaking at a regular news conference in Beijing today, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lizian defended China’s measures to combat the pandemic, saying China hoped the WHO director-general would be able to objectively view Chinese policies against China. 19.

Although restrictions on Covid-19 have been lifted almost everywhere in the world, China, which is experiencing outbreaks, continues to impose lockouts and quarantines as soon as a few cases occur.

Combined with the quasi-border closure and curtailment of international air links, this policy is causing growing despair in China.

In Shanghai in particular, the city’s 25 million people, who have been in Lockdown since early April, have been complaining about supply problems and fearing being sent to quarantine centers where amenities are mediocre.

In this context, Gebregesus made yesterday, Tuesday, statements unusually critical of China, saying that the policy of zero Covid “is not sustainable” and that “it is very important for (China) to move to a different strategy.”

As Covid Zero’s policies were endorsed by top communist leaders, particularly President Xi Jinping, censors quickly intervened to prevent the transmission of these statements by Gebregesos.

On the Weibo website, the Chinese Twitter, the hashtags #Tedros and #OMS (WHO) are not working today.

As for the users of the very popular social media WeChat, they can no longer reproduce or broadcast an article on the official UN account, which is posted on the platform and mentions the criticisms of the head of the WHO.

However, it is still possible for someone to discuss the matter online with one of their contacts or to post pictures of articles or messages on their WeChat wall that mention these statements.

“I humbly ask: will our government listen to the recommendations of the WHO Director-General?”, Writes a Weibo user.

For its part, the Chinese press remains silent.

The former director of the nationalist tabloid Global Times, Hu Shijin, who has a strong influence on the Internet, considers the WHO’s criticism to be “irrelevant”.

“If they say the Chinese method is not viable, they should suggest one that is more effective and sustainable. But they do not suggest any!” He wrote to his 24 million followers on Weibo.

“The WHO will not take any responsibility if China relaxes (its health policy) and many people die,” he added.

Abandoning Covid’s zero policy could lead to the deaths of 1.6 million people in the country, according to a study by researchers at Fudan University in Shanghai, published yesterday, Tuesday, in the journal Nature.

Source: AMPE

Source: Capital

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