China¡¯s top leaders warned against questioning Xi Jinping¡¯s ¡°COVID zero¡± strategy, striking a more defensive tone as pressure builds to relax virus curbs and protect the economic growth that has long been a source of Communist Party strength.
The Politburo¡¯s supreme seven-member Standing Committee pledged Thursday during a meeting led by Xi to ¡°fight against any speech that distorts, questions or rejects our country¡¯s COVID-control policy,¡± state broadcaster China Central Television said. The body reaffirmed its support for the lockdown-dependent approach, noting that China has been continuously calibrating measures since the first outbreak two years ago in Wuhan.
¡°Our pandemic prevention-and-control strategy is determined by the party¡¯s nature and principles,¡± the seven-member committee said, according to CCTV. ¡°Our policy can stand the test of history, and our measures are scientific and effective.¡±
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