Rumours about the end of China’s COVID zero policy have persisted for days, leading to renewed confidence in Chinese stocks.
The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index, which tracks major Chinese companies listed on the Hong Exchange recorded its best week in more than six years – gaining almost 10 percent.
However, on Saturday Chinese authorities did their best to pour cold water on the speculation.
“China will maintain its ‘dynamic zero’ prevention and control policy without wavering, as well as its approach to watch out for imported cases and domestic resurgence,” said National Health Commission spokesperson Mi Feng at a press conference.
It was one of the most defiant declarations of China’s commitment to COVID zero in weeks heard in weeks.
Mi Feng also discussed the “pressure” faced by the country from “imported” COVID cases and said vaccinations in the elderly population need to increase to avoid further fatalities.
The firm nod to the continuation of COVID zero in China came as more footage emerged of authorities in protecting clothing enforcing COVID zero policies while holding machine guns.
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COVID zero policy enforced by machine guns
Video from the Xishuangbanna Airport in Yunnan shows what appears to be police officers, or other Government officials, wearing white hazmat suits and holding machine guns.
In some of the footage people can be heard shouting “are you gonna kill us all?”.
It understood extra weapons were deployed to the airport in order to stop people flying from the Xinjiang region, where COVID-19 containment measures have intensified in recent months.
Similar footage of officials holding machine guns while enforcing COVID zero has also emerged from other parts of China in recent days as frustration about the policy amongst Chinese citizens intensifies.