Ruili City in Yunnan Province is a key port city bordering Myanmar in southwest China. It has been locked down five times since last year due to Covid. The former Deputy Mayor Dai Rongli recently posted an article on the Internet stating that Ruili residents have suffered severely. He appealed to the government to provide aid to the city and its people.
This article spread widely among Chinese netizens.
The current Ruili Mayor Shang Labian responded that the article was only one person’s opinion and it used out-of-date data. He said that Ruili does not need support from other places. (Note: Communist Officials generally do not want negative exposure.)
Mao Xiao, the Party Secretary of Ruili’s Party Committee also said that the higher-level government has already provided them with a lot of support.
Many netizens from Ruili also posted comments on the Internet, stating, for example, “The mayor does not need help but I need help.”
Sources:
1. Lianhe Zaobao, October 29, 2021
https://www.zaobao.com.sg/realtime/china/story20211029-1208156
2. Epoch Times, November 2, 2021
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/11/2/n13347206.htm