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The Political Scene | The New Yorker

How COVID Strengthened Authoritarianism in China

The Political Scene | The New Yorker

The New Yorker

Politics, Washington, News, Obama, Wnyc, President, Lizza, Barack, Wickenden

4.33.9K Ratings

🗓️ 12 May 2022

⏱️ 31 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

China’s “zero COVID” strategy has brought the bustling metropolis of Shanghai to a standstill, with many of its twenty-five million residents sealed in their homes. These exceptionally strict measures are being met with some public resistance, but Xi Jinping’s government has largely doubled down on its approach. Peter Hessler has been in and out of China for twenty-five years. He recently returned from two years of teaching and writing in Sichuan Province. His experience led him to a conclusion that may surprise some Americans: that, for many young people in China, the experience of the pandemic has reinforced “a general idea that the benefits of the Chinese system greatly outweigh its flaws.” And, even if people resent heavy-handed government control, they also bristle when outsiders criticize it. Hessler joins guest host Evan Osnos to talk about teaching in China and how the pandemic has reshaped the public’s views about the government.

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Transcript

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Welcome to the political scene. I'm Evan Osnos. By now, everyone around the world has seen

1:17.6

some of the latest pictures from Shanghai, where China's zero COVID strategy, as it's known,

1:23.7

has brought a city of 25 million people to a standstill.

1:28.1

It's been paralyzed for weeks under a lockdown on a scale that we've really never seen.

1:33.4

People have been sealed in their homes or carted off in some cases to isolation facilities

1:38.1

if someone in their household gets sick.

1:40.8

There's been some public resistance to all this, but Xi Jinping's government hasn't

1:45.1

budged. It has largely doubled down on its approach. Our colleague, Peter Hessler, has been

1:51.1

in and out of China for 25 years. He recently returned from two years of teaching and writing in

1:56.5

Sichuan province, where his experience led him to a conclusion that I think may surprise some

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