Students Speak Out Against China’s “zero-COVID” Policy

Since Fall Quarter 2022, there have been a series of posters around the UC San Diego campus with pictures of the Chinese president Xi Jinping and statements such as#NotMyPresident. A vigil was even held outside of Geisel Library on December 1, 2022.

These occurrences stem from the ongoing political predicaments happening in China today, according to Yasushi Oh, a third year Computer Science major.

The protests began in Haidian District, Beijing when one man, Peng Lifa, took to the public on October 13, 2022, with two large banners on the Sitong Bridge. One banner stated, “Students strike, workers strike, remove the dictator and state thief Xi Jinping.” The other said, “We want to eat, not do coronavirus tests; reform, not the Cultural Revolution. We want freedom, not lockdowns; elections, not rulers. We want dignity, not lies. Be citizens, not enslaved people.”

This event inspired many Chinese people, including international Chinese UCSD students, to speak up about China’s current state of governance. Many began to post photos of Peng Lifa’s protest on the Sitong Bridge; however, since then, Peng has been missing. Many have grown concerned for his welfare. This concern also includes UCSD students on campus. Many have also grown upset at China’s censorship of freedom of speech and the unfair practices happening in China today.

President Xi has been re-elected as China’s president after already serving two terms in office. This was made possible after Xi changed the constitution so that he can be China’s leader until he retires or passes away. Xi has also been known to carry out strict rules and regulations. For example, China’s “zero-COVID” policy caused much anguish among Chinese citizens. The zero-COVID policy aimed to keep COVID cases as close to zero as possible. Although the process had been successful with fewer COVID deaths, the Chinese people’s discontent came from mass lockdowns in cities lasting for weeks. Additionally, Chinese citizens had to report if they came into contact with individuals infected with COVID or if they were in a high-risk environment. The “zero-COVID” policy led to food shortages, negative effects on everyday life, and a downfall of the country’s economy.

Since December 2022, China has lifted the zero-COVID policy due to protesters’ resistance. Citizens can now isolate themselves at home if they are experiencing COVID symptoms and do not have to report to an app if they have contracted COVID. However, in light of retracting the zero-COVID policy, some Chinese citizens have become increasingly concerned about a sudden upsurge in COVID cases. There have been nearly 60,000 COVID deaths since China’s zero-COVID policy was lifted.

Because of China’s severe censorship of media, few protests have happened online. However, more citizens have grown upset and have taken to the streets to protest . Some of these citizens are protesting here on campus, due to students not being able to go home and loved ones suffering due to the policy. UCSD students are also finding it important to protest because of America’s lack of censorship when it comes to protesting. One of these students is Oh, who has been actively protesting through several Instagram accounts and making posters to spread awareness on campus since fall quarter. Oh is a Japanese international student but has lived in China for 18 years.

Oh has felt uplifted by other Chinese students putting up posters in protest of China’s government. He also shared that it’s rare to see any Chinese nationalist protesters, who are also called “little pinkies.”

“[Little pinkies] tear down many posters we’ve posted,” Oh said.

When it comes to solidarity from non-Chinese students, there has been some support, according to Oh.

“Non-Chinese students will stop by and watch the posters. I’ll say that’s a form of support,” Oh said.

At a protest on November 27, 2022, Chinese students set up a vigil to show respect for ten Chinese citizens who died due to the zero-COVID policy. In Urumqi, Xinjiang, ten people died in an apartment building fire because the door was locked from the outside in compliance with the zero-COVID policy. As of December 1, 2022, a banner, like the one Peng Lifa held on the Sitong Bridge, hung over Geisel Library. In Mandarin, it spelled out, “We don’t want nucleic acid testing, we want food to eat; We don’t want lockdowns, we want freedom.”

When it comes to challenges in protesting, Oh shared that the tearing down of posters has been an issue.

“It’s very hard for me to put up a poster again because it’s kind of time-consuming, and it kind of destroys my confidence,” Oh said.

Oh also shared that there’s a stereotype among international Chinese students that they are “pro-government,” rich, and not polite, which he feels adds to the challenges that he and other students face on campus while spreading awareness.

According to Oh, these protests have been happening on many college campuses, such as UC Berkeley and even universities in Australia and Europe. When it comes to the importance of awareness, Oh says that it’s important for all non-Chinese individuals to be aware of those whose human rights are being threatened.

“It’s like the same reason why we should be supporting or being aware of the issue in Iran or Ukraine … they’re people just like us,” Oh said.

Oh added that if China were to experience some sort of downfall, it would most likely affect the economy of China and other countries.

Amid the protests, Oh and other protesters spread awareness of what’s going on in China while also making others think about the issue. As for the future of China’s government, Oh is hopeful that the country will become more democratic and peaceful.

As of Winter Quarter 2023, protests have since started to cool down. According to UCSD student Wang Kai (pseudonym) who also put up posters around campus, since the zero-COVID policy has been lifted, the subject of protests is up in the air. When referring to the Chinese UCSD students’ protests, Kai said, “People with opinion, or sets of ideology, are still there, but the event they cared about was [sic] already cooled down or settled.” Oh, however, said, “I’m sure that many are going to post posters on campus.” He also mentioned the possibility of online protests during this quarter.

Cydney Macon is an Opinion writer and News writer for The Triton.