WHO Chief Questions China's Zero-COVID Policy: Learn More, Hold Back On Irresponsible Remarks

WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. (Wikimedia Commons / MONUSCO Photos)

JAKARTA - The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) is being censored on China's internet, after questioning the sustainability of the country's Zero-COVID policy.

Censorship on Weibo and WeChat, China's two largest social media platforms, targeted comments by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressing his rare disagreement with Beijing's policies.

"When we talk about the zero-Covid strategy, we don't think that it is sustainable, given the behavior of the virus now and what we anticipate in the future," Tedros said at a press conference Tuesday, citing an increase in Omicron contagion, cited from CNN, May 12.

"We have discussed this issue with Chinese experts and we have indicated the approach will not be sustainable. I think change will be very important."

The criticism from Tedros, who has been accused of being too close to China at the start of the pandemic, comes just days after Chinese leader Xi Jinping vowed to double down on policies and "resolutely fight" against all criticism.

The United Nations' official press accounts on Weibo, such as Twitter in China, which posted Tedros' comments on Wednesday morning, drew a wave of sarcastic comments from Chinese users.

"Fight resolutely against any words and actions that distort, doubt or refute our country's epidemic prevention and control policies! Destroy the World Health Organization!" top reply.

"Should the UN verified account be blocked this time?" another word.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian. (Twitter/@zlj517)

By mid-morning, the post was no longer viewable on Weibo "due to the author's privacy settings." It is not clear under what circumstances the setting was changed.

The Weibo hashtag in Tedros' name has also been censored, with images featuring his face removed from the platform, although posts containing his name are still visible.

Meanwhile on WeChat, an article from the UN's official account that included Tedros' comments had been "banned from sharing it for violating relevant laws and regulations" on Wednesday morning. Video clips of Tedros' speech have also been removed from the platform.

Tedros' comments, while in line with the judgment of most scientists, also angered Beijing, which called them "irresponsible."

"We hope that relevant people can view China's epidemic prevention and control policies objectively and rationally, learn more about the facts and refrain from making irresponsible statements," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said in a statement at Wednesday's press conference.

China's zero-tolerance approach to rapid lockdowns, mass testing and quarantines has protected large parts of its population from COVID-19 for the past two years.

However, it has drawn growing dissent as lockdowns have become more stringent and frequent amid Omicron's rapid deployment.

Shanghai, the country's most populous and cosmopolitan city, is reeling from a six-week lockdown that has sparked public anger. Meanwhile the capital Beijing has closed schools, restaurants and frequently launched mass testing to curb the outbreak.

In other regions, more local governments have imposed rapid lockdowns in response to only a handful of cases.