China claims Beijing is the true test of its pandemic policy

IF CHINA’S PUBLIC-HEALTH policies were decided by the people of Shanghai, the country would abandon its “zero-covid” strategy, which uses mass testing and strict lockdowns to crush the virus. The city’s 25m residents, among whom are some of China’s richest and most influential people, have complained loudly about the grim weeks of lockdown they have endured. But Beijing is where China’s covid strategy is devised. For now, the mood is rather different in the capital.

Beijing’s 22m residents responded with wary resignation to news that the Omicron variant had been spreading stealthily in the capital for days. On April 27th mass testing revealed more than 150 infections. The next day many schools went online. Some neighbourhoods were sealed off. But after an initial flurry of panic-buying, shops quickly restocked. Pensioners could be seen in parks, enjoying the smoggy spring sunshine. Local pride, and a sense of privilege born of proximity to power, help to explain why some Beijingers sound confident that they will escape the harsh, chaotic lockdowns imposed on Shanghai.