Testing patience On Wednesday, Xi said during a visit to south China's Hainan island that China must stick to its strict "dynamic COVID clearance" policy while the global pandemic remains very serious, promising those enduring lockdowns that persistence will win out in the end.
He indicated there would be no immediate change of approach in pandemic control measures, saying that the country must stick to its approach, which has all but shut China's borders to international travel, and not relax prevention measures.
Xi's remarks follow several recent state media articles supporting China's aggressive COVID strategy even as Shanghai residents chafe under restrictions.
On Thursday, an article titled "The people of Shanghai's patience has reached its limit" by a blogger called Lady Moye, enumerating the human toll of Shanghai's hardline anti-COVID measures including family separations, went viral on social media platform WeChat.