The Times podcast: Has ‘zero COVID’ checkmated China’s Xi?
Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a session at the Group of 20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, on Nov. 16, 2022.
(Willy Kurniawan / Associated Press)
Listen to this episode of The Times:
Mainland China is roiled by protests, the size of which have not been seen in a generation. People are calling for an end to the government’s strict “zero-COVID” restrictions. The moment has also brought rare public criticism of its architect, President Xi Jinping. Just months ago, he secured an unprecedented third term, but now is as vulnerable as he’s ever been.
Today, we examine whether the zero-COVID policy could be Xi’s downfall. Read the full transcript here.
Host: Gustavo Arellano
Guests: L.A. Times China correspondent Stephanie Yang
More reading:
‘Zero COVID’ is roiling China. But ending the policy may cause a massive health disaster
Protests over China’s strict COVID-19 controls spread across the country
About The Times
“The Times” is produced by Shannon Lin, Denise Guerra, Kasia Broussalian, David Toledo and Ashlea Brown. Our editorial assistants are Roberto Reyes and Nicolas Perez. Our engineers are Mario Diaz, Mark Nieto and Mike Heflin. Our editor is Kinsee Morlan. Our executive producers are Jazmin Aguilera, Heba Elorbany and Shani Hilton. And our theme music is by Andrew Eapen.
