Premier Li Keqiang¡¯s warning of China¡¯s ¡°complicated and grave¡± employment situation on Saturday was particularly dire, even for someone who has sounded the alarm for months. But it was also notable another reason: It didn¡¯t mention President Xi Jinping¡¯s ¡°COVID zero¡± strategy.
Just days earlier, the Politburo Standing Committee ¡ª on which both Xi and Li sit ¡ª warned China¡¯s citizens not to question COVID-control policies that have locked down cities across the country, including Shanghai. That statement, by contrast, contained no mention of the economy.
Besides confusing local officials who must find a way to eliminate COVID-19 and grow the economy, the mixed messages from China¡¯s most powerful leaders raise questions about whether there¡¯s a split at the top over the best way out of the pandemic.
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