China
Hendrik Streeck: boosting instead of lockdown + Tech-Crackdown about to end?
Dear reader,
Are there alternatives to the hard lockdown? German virologist Hendrik Streeck not just answers this question in the affirmative. Speaking with Frank Sieren, he is even skeptical about whether the Omicron variant can be contained at all in the long term through testing and lockdowns. The virus proves too contagious for this.
Instead, Streeck shares a surprising discovery with us: After the third dose, the Chinese vaccine does actually prove somewhat effective against Omicron. This is surprising for two reasons. On the one hand, it contradicts the narrative of the ineffective China vaccine. On the other hand, it makes it all the more baffling that China does not pull out all the stops and continues its vaccination program. Streeck's conclusion makes sense here: "China needs to push the vaccination campaign among the elderly." That is the way out of the lockdown trap.
The harsh regulation of Internet companies, also known as the tech crackdown, might soon end. Our Beijing team sees clear signs of a policy change. Beijing has made it clear to the tech billionaires who holds the power in the country – the Party, not the lords of the algorithms – and can now once again allow more growth in the sector.
