(Washington) China’s crackdown on protests against anti-COVID-19 health restrictions is a “sign of weakness” by communist leaders, US Foreign Minister Antony Blinken said on Wednesday.
People in all countries have the right to “voice their frustration” by protesting peacefully, Blinken told NBC.
“When we see the government taking massive crackdowns to prevent it, it’s not a sign of strength, but a sign of weakness,” he said when asked about the situation in China.
Mr. Blinken, currently in Romania to attend a meeting of the heads of NATO diplomacy, intends to visit China next year when tensions between Washington and Beijing are particularly high.
The US Secretary of State claimed that the “zero COVID-19” policy was not “something we would do” in the US, which he said prefers to focus on vaccines, testing and treatment.
“China must find a way forward in its handling of COVID-19, a way that meets health needs, but also meets people’s needs,” he added.
The Chinese authorities are facing a national movement of anger against health restrictions which represents the most widespread protest movement since the pro-democracy mobilizations of 1989. The demonstrations in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square had been bloodily repressed.
Joe Biden, who met Chinese President Xi Jinping in November in Bali, said on Monday “following” the protests in China closely.