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Coronavirus China
ChinaScience

China hits out at WHO chief’s ‘irresponsible’ criticism of zero-Covid policy as censors target UN social media account

  • The foreign ministry accused Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of not having a ‘proper understanding of the facts’
  • Internet users noted screen grabs of a post on the UN’s Weibo account and even pictures of Tedros had also been banned

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Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) said of China’s zero-tolerance policy on Covid-19: “I think a shift would be very important”. Photo: Reuters
Josephine Ma
The Chinese foriegn ministry on Tuesday denounced the head of the World Health Organization for making “irresponsible” remarks after he said the country’s zero-Covid policies were unsustainable.
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“We hope the relevant individual will make objective and reasonable views of China’s epidemic protocol and policy and try to get a better understanding of the facts and refrain from making irresponsible remarks,” foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a regular briefing in Beijing.

China is facing rising pressure over the prolonged lockdown in Shanghai and the huge social costs of its zero tolerance policy, including residents in the country’s wealthiest city running out of food.

World Health Organization director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a media briefing on Tuesday: “We don’t think that it is sustainable considering the behaviour of the virus and what we now anticipate in the future.

“We have discussed this issue with Chinese experts. And we indicated that the approach will not be sustainable … I think a shift would be very important.”

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Censors moved quickly to scrub the comments from the Chinese internet, removing a Weibo post on the United Nations account on Wednesday morning.

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