In recent days, the epidemic in China has heated up, with a sharp increase in local cases of new coronary pneumonia in Shanghai, and the epidemic has also spread to neighboring provinces. Yesterday (27th) China officially announced that “Pudong” and “Puxi”, which are divided by the Huangpu River, have been closed successively. However, just the day before (26th), Wu Fancai, a member of the expert group of the Shanghai Leading Group for Epidemic Prevention and Control, publicly denied the “closure of the city”, and the changes in epidemic prevention in the past few days have attracted attention. “Epoch Times” columnist Yue Shanjin ( 28) also came forward to comment on this.
The latest report from Shanghai from March 20 to 26 shows that the number of new local infections has exceeded 10,000, and most of them are asymptomatic infections. This data may also be the official CCP data that has been withheld. Since the outbreak of the epidemic, the CCP has insisted on implementing a strict policy of “clearing zero”. Shanghai was once the only first-tier city in mainland China that did not conduct nationwide testing, and the line of defense has also been broken during this wave of epidemics.
On the evening of yesterday (27th), Shanghai officials announced that starting from the 28th, Shanghai will be bounded by the Huangpu River, and a new round of blockade and nucleic acid testing will be implemented in districts and batches.
Chinese President Xi Jinping also issued instructions to the Standing Committee of the Politburo on the 17th, emphasizing adherence to dynamic clearing to control the epidemic. At the same time, Xi Jinping also called for “strive to achieve the greatest prevention and control effect at the least cost, and minimize the impact of the epidemic on economic and social development.”
Yue Shan said that this wave of epidemic has also made Zhang Wenhong, a Shanghai epidemic prevention expert, the focus of comments. Zhang Wenhong said on the 25th that “the entire exponential rise in transmission in Shanghai has been interrupted.” However, the epidemic in Shanghai has never improved. As an authoritative figure in Shanghai’s epidemic prevention, Zhang Wenhong put forward the view of “coexisting with the virus” in line with the world at the end of July 2021. He is considered a relatively enlightened person.
On August 16, 2021, some CCP media reprinted a report that Li Qiang, secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee, visited Zhang Wenhong’s laboratory on August 2 for investigation.
Regarding this wave of epidemics, Zhang Wenhong also made a speech on Microwave on March 14. He said that Hong Kong has “accumulated a lot of experience in fighting the virus”. The virulence of the virus has really been significantly reduced,” and “the severity and mortality rates are really lower than those of the flu.”
Yue Shan said that in recent years, Shanghai has been authorized by the central government to take the lead in reforming the management of super-large cities. Prior to this, Shanghai had not used the epidemic prevention model of the city closure, nor dealt with officials. It was estimated by the outside world that Xi Jinping handed over privileges to Li Qiang, allowing trial and error, or that Li Qiang dared to “innovate” with the international trend and did not follow up with Xi Central command? Li Qiang has always adopted the policy of “listening to the experts” in Shanghai’s fight against the epidemic, which is actually in conflict with Xi Jinping’s emphasis on “the party manages everything”.
However, Shanghai’s official announcement of the city’s partition closure also means that Li Qiang can’t bear it anymore. The epidemic in Shanghai is out of control, and if it gets worse, it may affect the personnel affairs of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China this fall.
Li Qiang, secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee, born in July 1959, is from Ruian, Zhejiang, and a member of the Political Bureau of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. The core character of Zhijiang New Army. In recent years, there have been frequent reports that he will rise to the next level at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, be promoted to the Standing Committee of the Politburo, or even take over as Prime Minister.
Yue Shan said bluntly that infighting at the top of the CCP is taking place in an autocratic black box. Entering March, a list of the top 20 personnel to be finalized at the Beidaihe meeting of the Communist Party of China in a few months should already be in tense wrestling. As a close associate of Xi, Li Qiang’s every move was targeted by political enemies within the party. Once Li Qiang makes a mistake, not only his own career will be hindered, but even Xi Jinping’s re-election will be attacked by anti-Xi factions. The so-called “anti-epidemic war” directed by Xi Jinping himself is becoming an important part of the infighting in Zhongnanhai.