Despite criticism from foreign business associations, the Chinese leadership intends to continue with its zero-Covid strategy.

The anti-disease policy will "stand the test of history" and has been "proven to be scientific and efficient," Chinese party leader Xi Jinping said at a meeting of the Communist Party's Politburo Standing Committee.

Friederike Böge

Political correspondent for China, North Korea and Mongolia.

  • Follow I follow

The most powerful body in the country announced late Thursday evening that tightening of the corona measures had been initiated.

"Successes" have been achieved since the start of the latest omicron wave in March.

"We won the battle to defend Wuhan and we will surely win the battle to defend Shanghai," it said.

The 25 million metropolis of Shanghai has been in a tough lockdown for more than a month.

There is no timetable for an opening yet.

Europeans call for easing

The reason for sticking to the zero-Covid strategy was that relaxation would “inevitably lead to high numbers of infections, seriously ill people and deaths”.

China is "a large country with an aging population, uneven regional development and insufficient medical resources".

The lives of the people come first.

At the same time, the party committee announced that "all words and actions that distort, doubt or reject our disease protection policy would be vehemently opposed".

"Perseverance means victory," it said, referring to a slogan from the Mao era.

The Shanghai City Party Committee later said they had studied the "ghost" of the session.

"The whole city will grit its teeth and win the battle to defend Shanghai."

On Thursday, the European Chamber of Commerce in China asked the government to relax.

A chamber survey showed that China had lost its attractiveness as an investment location for 78 percent of the companies surveyed due to its corona policy.

Criticism came for the first time from the health adviser to the American President, Anthony Fauci.

China has failed to vaccinate enough elderly people and to allow more effective vaccines from abroad, he said in an interview with Foreign Policy magazine.

"Just going into lockdown and waiting for the virus to go away won't work."