Protests

All news and posts of our editorial team on the topic

Dozens still detained
According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), dozens of protesters are still detained across the country after the protest in November against zero-Covid and for political freedoms. Some of them have no contact with family members and are being held in unknown locations, the US-based human rights organization said. HRW demanded that the leadership in Beijing […] continue reading →
Worker protests in Chongqing
According to South China Morning Post reports, violent protests broke out at a factory in Chongqing over the weekend. Videos on social media show workers throwing objects at security forces in an industrial park. A police loudspeaker sounds the announcement “illegal activities” must be stopped immediately. According to comments on social media and image analysis […] continue reading →
Beijing after the protests: arrests and changes
Just days after the white paper protests, the government gave in and abandoned zero-Covid. The success shows the protesters: change is possible. But before Xi Jinping's power starts to show cracks, a lot would have to happen. continue reading →
Xi praises Jiang as economic reformer
At the funeral service for former state and party leader Jiang Zemin, Xi Jinping paid tribute to his predecessor without relativizing Jiang's achievements to his own benefit – or even distancing himself from him. continue reading →
Protest at Chinese embassy in Berlin
Around 300 people protested on Saturday on the Jannowitz Bridge in front of the Chinese Embassy in Berlin under the slogan “China’s white sheet for freedom.” On their placards, they demanded an end to the lockdowns but also freedom of speech and press, as well as the release of demonstrators detained in China. Some signs […] continue reading →
Protests and relaxations in Guangzhou
Police clashed with protesters in the southern metropolis of Guangzhou on Wednesday morning. The angry crowd threw metal bars at the police officers, most of whom were dressed in white protective suits. During Wednesday, the city government responded with a series of relaxations of Covid measures. Citizens’ lives should be disrupted as little as possible […] continue reading →
German parliament acknowledges protests
In a special session of the German Bundestag, members of various parties expressed their respect for the protesters in China. “Their courage is an example to us, we bow before them,” said liberal FDP foreign policy expert Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, paying his respects to the protesters against the repressive zero-Covid policy. For the social democratic […] continue reading →
Protest symbol: blank white paper
How do you protest in a country where protesting is basically forbidden? In a country where hashtags and search keywords are being blocked within a few hours? The Chinese solve the problem with creativity and irony: with a blank white sheet of paper. continue reading →
London summons China’s ambassador over the arrest of a BBC reporter
The British Foreign Office has summoned China’s ambassador to London, Zheng Zeguang, over the diplomatic dispute surrounding the arrest of BBC journalist Ed Lawrence in Shanghai. The BBC accuses Shanghai police officers of also punching and kicking its cameraman, who was trying to film the zero-Covid protests. “We have made it clear this behavior by […] continue reading →
Faster vaccination for the elderly
Following the protests against China’s strict Covid measures, the country’s health authorities announced plans on Tuesday to speed up the vaccination campaign for the elderly. The authority did not directly mention the protests. However, it said it wanted to reduce “inconvenience” and the “wrong practice” of additional measures. Cheng Youquan of the Center for Disease […] continue reading →
New protests despite massive police presence
New anti-Covid protests broke out on Monday. The government responds with a massive police presence and minor adjustments to the pandemic response. However, high infection numbers make an exit from zero-Covid impossible for the time being. Xi Jinping finds himself deep in a dilemma of his own making. continue reading →
Standing up to the iron fist of the party
As the world gets ready for Christmas, protests have erupted across China. The protests were sparked by a tragic fire in Urumqi, which killed ten people, and anger over the country’s restrictive Zero-COVID policy. While protest is more common in China than people think, the last two days have seen a character of dissent not seen in China since 1989. continue reading →
Race against censorship
The protests against the strict Covid policy have begun to spread to smaller cities. The government in Beijing, on the other hand, remains silent. Its goal is to prevent large-scale protests by increasing censorship efforts. Whether someone has even heard of the protests is also a question of social background. continue reading →
Real estate prices continue to fall
China’s property woes worsened on all fronts. Prices for new apartments fell in October at the fastest rate in more than seven years. They fell by an average of 1.6 percent compared with the same month last year, according to calculations by the Reuters news agency based on data from the statistics office. This was […] continue reading →