Canberra/ Beijing: Australia’s ‘Lowy Institute’ has reported that China’s influence in the Asia-Pacific region has decreased due to the ‘Zero Covid Policy’ implemented strictly to prevent Coronavirus. In the ‘Asia Power Index’ published by the ‘Lowy Institute’, it was said that China has fallen to second place. The Australian study group noted that the US had re-increased its regional influence.
Moreover, Chinese President Xi Jinping has implemented the ‘Zero Covid Policy‘ to combat the Coronavirus infection. Despite frequent questioning of its success, it was supported by President Xi Jinping and the Communist regime. Last year, even as voices of displeasure rose from Shanghai and other major cities, Xi ordered the implementation of his policy in aggressive terms. However, an incident in Xinjiang sharply raised the Chinese people’s discontent with this policy. Major Chinese cities saw people take to the streets in large numbers.
Therefore, at the beginning of December, China decided to relax the ‘Zero Covid Policy’ imposed to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. After that, most of the restrictions in China were lifted. After the relaxation of the restrictions, the Coronavirus infection in China has started to increase again. The number of Coronavirus patients in China is rising rapidly and photographs of long queues in hospitals and burial grounds are being published. Various media have claimed that one to five thousand people are dying in China daily due to Coronavirus.
Furthermore, analysts are claiming that President Xi Jinping’s silence without addressing the Chinese people in any way is creating an atmosphere of resentment in China. The growing Coronavirus infection in China was also taken seriously internationally. The World Health Organization (WHO) has directed that Chinese organizations should provide data related to Coronavirus. New countries have been added to the list of countries that are forcing Chinese travellers to undergo tests related to Coronavirus. Against this backdrop, a new report by Australia’s Lowy Institute is noteworthy.
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