China’s Xi Bets Economic Growth Will Offset Misery From Covid
- Government also deploys propaganda to distract from U-turn
- Xi, other leaders stay silent as large cities fight outbreaks
This article is for subscribers only.
The Chinese government’s plans to spin the fallout from President Xi Jinping’s U-turn on Covid Zero are starting to take shape: claim victory and hope for a quick return to growth.
Xi is turning to economic growth to help the Communist Party through the Covid shock, a playbook that has worked for more than four decades. The government is also deploying its vast state media apparatus and diplomatic corps to deliver the message that the shift away from Covid Zero started on Dec. 7 — which for almost three years meant lockdowns of large cities, mass testing and largely closed borders — was well timed.