The London Review of Books (Vol. 44 No. 20, October 20, 2022) published an interesting
5437-word article on the study of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese
Characteristics by Party Cadres authored by Long Ling, a government official in Beijing and a
member of the Chinese Communist Party. An excerpt from the article relating to the ZeroCovid policy is reproduced: "At the end of August, on the same day it was announced that the
Twentieth Party Congress would be held on 16 October, more than 1600 cities declared themselves high-risk Covid areas, and more than 1400 medium-risk. As a result, millions of
residents were once again locked up in their homes, including the inhabitants of eight cities
with populations of more than ten million. Eighty-seven cities declared their change of status
within an hour of the announcement. Carrying out the draconian zero-Covid policy was an
effective way for party secretaries in these cities to prove their loyalty to Xi. In Hebei, the
‘moat of Beijing’, the local secretary general announced that the province would be cleared of
Covid cases within five days. ‘If the goal is not achieved, the party secretary of the
city/district/county will be dismissed.’ One district issued a notice to citizens warning that those
who refused to co-operate would be punished. In this way, thousands of provincial secretary
generals proclaimed their loyalty. Outshining them all was the secretary general of Tianjin,
who stated: ‘If loyalty is not absolute, it is absolute disloyalty'."
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