China has repeatedly defended the policy and indications are that it will maintain “zero-Covid” at least until the spring of 2023, when President Xi Jinping is expected to be installed for a third five-year term as head of the country. second largest group in the world. economy and a growing competitor to the United States in the Indo-Pacific region.

In remarks by the official Xinhua news agency, Xi said on Wednesday that China’s anti-virus policy has “maximum protection for people’s lives and health”.

Mr Xi was speaking during a visit to the central city of Wuhan, where the virus was first detected in late 2019 before the outbreak of the pandemic that has killed more than 6.3 million people worldwide , according to a count by Johns Hopkins University in the United States. States.

“Had China adopted the ‘herd immunity’ policy or a hands-off approach, given its large population, the country would have faced catastrophic consequences,” Xi was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

“Even if there are temporary impacts on the economy, we will not put people’s lives and health at risk, and we must protect the elderly and children in particular.”

Having associated himself so closely with the zero-Covid policy, any pushback by Mr. Xi would be seen as a political handicap as he seeks to secure his further control of domestic power and influence abroad.

China’s tough approach, which involves lockdowns of hundreds of millions, mass testing costing billions of pounds and quarantines disrupting thousands of lives “are the most economical and effective”, Ms. xi.

Despite the eased restrictions, a negative test result on a cellphone is still required to enter most public spaces in Shanghai and other cities.