Zhang listened patiently, saying that he had already referred the case to his superiors and that there was nothing he could do. “Are you saying I’ll wait here until I die?” Yu asked. Zhang responded with an angry outburst, complaining that he too was completely helpless in this situation: “I’m worried too. I’m angry too… But there is nothing we can do… I do not know what to do either “. Zhang revealed that calls for help had accumulated in recent days, but that his superiors were not dealing with them. “Maybe one day, when I can not stand it, I will give up. Will this day come soon? “ In economic terms, the equivalent of 40% of China’s gross domestic product is estimated to be in some form of lockdown. In Shanghai – a metropolis known for its commotion and sometimes called “Paris of the East” – a fortnight of confinement has caused a sense of despair and despair among its 25 million inhabitants. Food shortages have forced some residents to resort to exchanges. A barrage of criticism of the authorities’ response to the crisis has left the usually effective Internet censors unable to keep up. On the Internet, many residents question not only how to deal with the epidemic, but also the official Beijing narrative, which emphasizes the collective good. Footage of local protests has surfaced on Chinese social media. They have been removed by censors, but have reappeared on Western platforms such as Twitter and Facebook – both of which are banned in China. “Everyday incidents happen that devalue someone,” a “Shanghai regular” wrote last week in a widely circulated Weibo article entitled “Shanghai Patience Limits. However, despite the growing dissatisfaction, there are few signs that the authorities are going to change course. Sad stories of exhausted officials have been widely circulated on the internet in recent days, including one about a 55-year-old local public health official, Qian Wenxiong, who allegedly committed suicide in his office due to pressure. . Authorities confirmed that he died on Thursday and police did not deny the rumors. A volunteer addressing residents of an apartment building in Shanghai last week. Photo: Chen Jianli / AP Hu Shijin, a former editor of the state-run tabloid Global Times, said in a comment that Qian’s death had heightened the impression that the fight against Covid in Shanghai was “overwhelming” for officials. However, he insisted that despite the tragedy, Shanghai “must succeed in clearing Covid” for the benefit of the country. His words have been echoed in recent days by China’s top leaders. On Wednesday, President Xi Jinping told his officials: “It is necessary to overcome paralyzing thoughts, war fatigue… and a relaxed mindset.” On Friday, Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chunlan reiterated the government’s unwavering commitment to “zero Covid”. However, tensions between the hard line of the authorities and the demonstrations of the food shortage base have posed a dilemma for Beijing, according to Professor Jane Duckett, a longtime supporter of Shanghai politics and society at the University of Glasgow. “The food supply crisis in Shanghai was a key issue that surprised Shanghai residents and led them to question the strategy against Covid,” he said. “The problem is that without better logistics of food and other staples, there is pressure to ease restrictions, but relaxation is likely to lead to the spread of the virus – and scenes like those in Hong Kong. “Protest and instability seem inevitable in any case.” Experts say that despite growing calls from outside China for China to abandon its Covid policy, Beijing’s fragmented history of vaccinating its vulnerable population – especially those over 60 – would be an even greater risk of insufficient health care system. By April 5, more than 92 million Chinese people aged 65 and over had not yet received three doses of the vaccine, putting them at greater risk of developing severe symptoms or dying from the virus. Most worrying is that 20.2 million people aged 80 and over have also not been fully vaccinated. Supplies are delivered to a complex in the city. Photo: Héctor Retamal / AFP / Getty Images These realities, combined with the use of a comparatively less effective home vaccine, have made China’s future political choices even more limited. “The Chinese leadership is trapped,” said Yanzhong Huang, a senior fellow at the New York-based think tank Tank Council on Foreign Relations. “But instead of asking the entire population – young and old – to stay at home at the same time, Beijing should focus on convincing its senior citizens to get three doses of the vaccine and get the antiviral pills first. They should also approve the BioNTech mRNA vaccine for national marketing immediately. “ But for China’s leadership, insisting on zero Covid is also about proving the superiority of China’s political system, Duckett believes. Last week, Xi praised politics again at an event celebrating the Winter Olympics, despite reports of food shortages in one of the country’s most important economic hubs. “As some foreign athletes have said, if there was a gold medal for tackling the pandemic, then China deserves it,” Xi said, according to the Xinhua news agency. What happened in Shanghai and elsewhere in the country will also have political consequences in view of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party later this year, according to Victor Sich, a Chinese political elite expert at the University of California, San Diego. . “The party would normally want a smooth economic and political environment at the conference, but Covid and the different ways in which Chinese cities respond to it will create a very demanding environment for the party,” he said. For the people of Shanghai, who have a reputation for not being interested in politics, the pressing issue now is to get over this period. Towards the end of his call on Tuesday, Yu asked Zhang, the party’s local secretary, a question: “Is that really the case in our country?” “I do not know how Shanghai ended up like that,” Zhang said. He sighed and finished the call. “Sorry, Mr. Yu… Goodbye.” A recording of their exchange quickly went viral on WeChat, before censors caught it and removed it. On Thursday, state media reported that Yu had been sent to hospital.
