Xi’s Covid Authoritarianism Meets Red Line at Vaccine Mandates
- Local Beijing officials make unusual U-turn on requiring shots
- Indecision on vaccines may prolong lockdowns, mass testing
Residents line up for a Covid-19 test in Shanghai, on July 10.
Photographer: Qilai Shen/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
President Xi Jinping has made use of his authoritarian power in China to impose the world’s strictest controls against Covid-19. But there’s one pandemic measure he hasn’t pushed: vaccines.
China’s first attempt at a vaccine mandate was abruptly scrapped last week within days of being announced by municipal officials in Beijing. The plan to stop people entering public venues without proof of vaccination sparked an outcry online, with Chinese social media users calling it an illegal cap on their freedoms and questioning how effective the vaccines were against immune-evasive variants.