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Government: Shanghai Authorities – It Is All the Residential Committee’s Fault

During Shanghai’s COVID Control and Prevention news press conference on May 29, authorities said the city has never announced a “lockdown” and therefore does not need to “remove the lockdown and (reopen)” the city.

They also blamed the residential committees (居委会) for locking down the residential buildings and forcing people to stay at home. They said the two months of the Shanghai lockdown was not a government action but rather the result of the residents’ self-management .

The authorities then pointed out:

  1. The residential committee is a self-management organization for the city residents and the residential committee’s actions are based on the residents self-management, not the government’s orders.
  2. Any official order and regulation must be published by the municipal party committee or the municipal government. The residential committee’s announcement only represents the view and action of that residential committee and residents of the neighborhood. The government is not responsible for these actions.
  3. If any residential committee mentions “according to the authorities’ requirements,” if it is not based on an officially issued document with a government seal on it, it is a verbal order and the government does not recognize the claim.

People ridiculed the Shanghai authorities. According to the authorities’ logic, the government didn’t lock down Shanghai, but Shanghai residents voluntarily locked themselves down, stopped their own economy and created all their humanitarian problems for themselves.

Source: China Digital Times, June 1, 2022

民国地平线｜蔡慎坤：谁把上海人当傻瓜？

Hot Topics | | |   Government/Politics Social Stability

A Chinese City’s Penalty Is a 10-Day Detention for Skipping Multiple PCR Tests

On May 31, the city government of Siping in China’s northeastern Jilin Province announced it would launch massive Covid-19 PCR testing for residents starting on June 2. The testing requires that “no one is left behind.” The authorities vowed to inflict punishment on anyone who did not participate in the drive. Punitive measures would include restricting access to neighborhoods and public places, paying for the cost of make-up tests, and being admonished by local police. For those who failed to take the required tests on more than two occasions, the penalty would include 10-days of administratively detention, a fine of 500 yuan (US$ 75), being blacklisted in China’s social credit system, and public naming and shaming.

The announcement sparked criticism from Chinese netizens. Some said, “The Siping municipal government is openly breaking the law.” Others questioned, “Which law is the basis for such a detention rule? This is serious damage to the rule of law in China!”

Draconian measures to combat the epidemic adopted by Chinese authorities have triggered public discontent. For example, in Jiangsu, medical staff would throw away all the food in the refrigerator that belonged to the Covid patient. In Shanghai a netizen complained saying that the disinfection personnel entered his residence without his consent.

Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), May 31, 2022
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202205310229.aspx

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Chinese Graduates Signing Rate was Only 32 Percent as of May

Well-known Chinese news site Tencent News recently reported that, according to the latest data on contract-signing for college graduates, as of May, 22 percent of males signed employment contracts and 10 percent of females signed, which is really appalling. This year’s class of college graduates faced a truly tough labor environment. The COVID pandemic has brought down many employers. With continuous risk control, millions of companies have no profit, only expense after expense. It has not been easy for small and medium-sized companies to survive this year. However, if they do survive, they have to save money and reduce costs. Many employers are laying off employees. It is very difficult to find a job at this time. Half of the companies have closed down, so it’s already strange if one doesn’t lose his job, let alone the difficulty college students who have just graduated face in seeking a job. There are a lot of people who have been in the job market for more than 10 years and are still without a job. The number is greater than for those who have just-graduated. Many colleges push students to sign the Tripartite Agreements (an employment agreement between the student, the college and the employer), which are often not a guarantee of employment but just an intent, since the Agreement is not a legally binding formal hiring contract. Not many students have managed to secure a hiring contract for job positions as soon as they graduate. Many had to turn to continuing education by taking graduate school exams, or to participate in civil service exams  to obtain a government job. However, there are only so many job positions every year, and most people will take the exams while working on something temporary or just give up altogether.

Source: Tencent News, May 19, 2022
https://xw.qq.com/cmsid/20220519A034M400

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Government: Xinhua to Foreign Companies: Endure the COVID Hardship for a “Better Future”

Xinhua published a commentary on foreign companies moving out of China. It acknowledged that many foreign companies are considering leaving China because of their concern that the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) “Zero-COVID” policy impacts their normal business. It defended the “Zero-COVID” policy as the right measure for China and asked foreign companies to work with the CCP to endure the temporary hardship for a “better future.”

It appealed to foreign companies, “One’s vision determines the outcome. Is it better to focus on the immediate interests, worrying, wavering, and turning to the so-called ‘alternative options’ (of other countries to replace China), or to look far ahead, taking the long view, staying with the current course, and choosing to overcome the difficulties together with China and create a future together? (We) believe the wise entrepreneurs will make the far-sighted choice.”

Related postings on Chinascope:

Source: Xinhua, May 12, 2022
http://www.news.cn/world/2022-05/12/c_1128644750.htm

Hot Topics | | |   Economy/Resources Government/Politics Social Stability

Public Opinion: Hot Discussions on Shanghai Man’s Saying, “This Is Our Last Generation”

Recently an online video attracted many reposts and some hot discussions.

The video was about a Shanghai case in which a police officer, covered in a full COVID protective suit, came to take a resident to a quarantine location. The resident had tested negative for COVID but, according to the authorities, might have been close to someone who had COVID. The resident refused to go.

The police officer then threatened him and said that he would be punished for not following the authorities’ order and the punishment would implicate his parents and children as well. The officer said, “The punishment will impact all three generations of your family.”

The man answered, “Unfortunately, this is our last generation. Thank you!”

Public comments said that this showed how desperate and tragic the lives of the people in China have become. They cannot change the CCP’s actions and cannot control their own lives. They have even chosen not to have children so that they wouldn’t pass the same tragedy of living down to their children.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has deleted the video and all discussions about it.

Related postings on Chinascope:

Law Profession Pointed Out Two Government “Zero-COVID” Measures Violate the Law

Source: Radio Free Asia, May 12, 2022
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shehui/rc-05122022105724.htnml

Hot Topics | | |   Government/Politics Social Stability

Leadership: “Unwaveringly Adhere to the Zero-COVID Policy”

Xi Jinping hosted the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) Politburo Standing Committee meeting on May 5, 2022, to discuss the COVID strategy. People’s Daily reported that the meeting called for continuing Xi Jinping’s “Zero-COVID” strategy, unswervingly adhering to the general policy of “dynamically zeroing out” and resolutely fighting against words and deeds that distort, doubt, and deny our epidemic prevention policies.

The article said, “Practice has proved that our prevention and control policy is determined by the Party’s nature and purpose, our prevention and control policy has stood up in history, and our prevention and control measures are scientific and effective. We have won the Wuhan battle and we will definitely win the battle of Shanghai.” (Editor’s note: It might be a stretch to say that the COVID policy is determined by “the Party’s nature and purpose.” However, it indicates that whether to follow the “Zero-COVID” policy is whether to align oneself with the party. Thus the people who suggest to stop “Zero-COVID” and switch to coexisting with the virus are taking a wrong path from the Party.)

On May 7, The CCP Central Commission on Discipline Inspections supported this decision by publishing a commentary titled, “Deeply, Completely, and Comprehensively Understand the COVID Prevention and Control Policies Set by the Party Central Committee.”

The military also supported Xi’s position. On May 7, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Daily also published a commentary, titled “Unwaveringly adhere to the ‘dynamic zeroing out’ general policy.”

Related postings on Chinascope:

Sources:
1. People’s Daily, May 6, 2022
http://dangjian.people.com.cn/n1/2022/0506/c117092-32415128.html
2. CCP Central Commission on Discipline Inspection website, May 7, 2022
https://www.ccdi.gov.cn/toutiaon/202205/t20220507_190977_m.html
3. PLA Daily, May 7, 2022
http://www.81.cn/jfjbmap/content/2022-05/07/content_314989.htm

Hot Topics | | |   Government/Politics Social Stability

Public Opinion: Law Profession Pointed Out: Two Government “Zero-COVID” Measures Violate the Law

Tong Zhiwei, a Professor of Constitutional Law, East China University of Political Science and Law in Shanghai, published on social media that two of the government’s “Zero-COVID” measures are illegal. He said that he had consulted over 20 professors from his university, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, South China University of Technology, Wuhan University, Hubei University, and Peking University, before publishing the article.

The first government practice that he stated violated the law is to forcibly take residents to modular hospitals or other facilities for quarantine. That practice should be stopped right away. The authorities’ justification for the force-taking is the claim that Shanghai is in an emergency state. However, according to the Constitution, any organization or officials in Shanghai do not have the legal right to declare an emergency state for Shanghai.

The second illegal government practice is to force residents to hand in the keys to their homes so that the authorities can go inside to spray chemicals to kill the COVID virus. According to the law, citizen’s homes are inviolable. An illegal search or illegal intrusion into the homes of citizens is prohibited.

Source: Epoch Times, May 8, 2022
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/22/5/8/n13730561.htm

Hot Topics | | |   Government/Politics Social Stability