The endurance of a billion Chinese is at its limits as they have been living under lockdown for the last three years under the rules imposed by the pandemic. The reserves of resilience have now dried up at a time when the economies of most Western countries are open.
Beijing's zero case policy is falling on deaf ears, while hundreds of protests, accompanied by riots, are taking place in major cities. From the financial capital Shanghai to Wuhan, the voice of dissent rings out.
The world's fatigue has hit "red", reflected in a phrase of anger heard lately on the streets: "Si quit, Communist Party go away!"
However, police forces have been reinforced, punishments imposed are increasing and arrests of protesters are rising. Despite the authorities' attempt to overturn the situation by force, Xi's political fate hangs in the balance.
As Steve Chang, professor of the Chinese Institute at the London School of Oriental and African Studies, notes to the BBC, the Chinese government is in danger of losing control if the protests spread.
If Beijing does not suppress the protests, it will be seen as a sign of weakness, and the risk of intensifying the wave of social anger is imminent.
Despite the fact that strict restrictions have been applied across the entire Chinese territory for the past three years, infections have reached record levels which intensifies the agitation.
The world is seeking a return to normality, but the authorities are using repressive methods to try to quash any such demand. They even go so far as to seal doors to prevent people from leaving their homes. Because of this practice, desperate citizens are even throwing themselves out of windows, with some meeting tragic ends.
The image on the streets betrays the mood of anger, with people breaking barricades and clashing with authorities. As much as the Chinese regime is "banking" on concealment, the social media age is not letting the event remain in the dark, with footage circulating attesting to the unprecedented scale of social exclusion in China.
What remains to be seen is the punitive methods that will be implemented by the Xi regime against dissidents.
The fire that lit the fuse of rage
The glass overflowed when a major fire broke out in a housing complex in the dystopian city of Urumqi, resulting in the tragic deaths of ten people who were unable to get out of the apartments due to strict rules.
Yet another event sparked public outrage when pregnant twins miscarried due to inadequate access to medical care.
The question that remains to be answered is why China is still implementing a lockdown.
Most countries implemented a lockdown until they developed coronavirus vaccines.
China has developed its own vaccines but they are not as effective as the mRNA technology on which the Pfizer and Moderna formulations are based.
Pfizer/BioNTech's two doses provide 90% shielding against severe disease while China's Sinovac provides 70%.
The other issue of concern in China's case is the world's immune system is weakened as there is no exposure to viruses.
This means that citizens have no resistance to the mutations that are circulating, resulting in them being infected very quickly by the variants of the virus for which they have not been vaccinated.
China's measures
Even if single digit numbers of cases are detected, the society and economy of regions of China are shutting down.
It is estimated that around ten million people are under lockdown.
Mass testing continues, while those who test positive for coronavirus are placed in isolation under surveillance by the authorities.
Businesses and schools are closed, as are all shops except those selling food.
Some rules, however, have been relaxed. Those who test positive for the virus are quarantined for eight rather than 10 days. Five days they are forced to stay in a special isolation center and three days at home.
Source: Proto Thema
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