China Relaxes COVID Measures Amid Economic Downturn

China’s cabinet announced on Wednesday that covid-19 measures, some of which have been in place for three years, will finally be relaxed. At the end of November, China experienced unprecedented protests against the strict lockdown protocols. Police forces quashed the protests in just under a week. Local governments made some few token statements about ending lockdown measures but enacted no real policy. Then suddenly, about a week after the protests were quelled, the government announced relaxed measures.

New measures: For the first time, the central government itself has allowed at-home quarantine as an alternative to mandatory quarantine facilities. It has also relaxed mandatory testing and the need to show proof of a negative test before entering most public spaces. Only schools, hospitals and nursing homes are exempt.

The timing makes it seem like the decision was motivated by the widespread protests. But the Chinese Communist Party (ccp) wasn’t bullied into making these concessions. It forcefully quashed the protests and used them to greatly expand the already severe state surveillance apparatus. What really made the Chinese government change its tune is the state of its economy.

Economic downturn: Trade data for 2022 was released just before the ccp announced the relaxed measures.

• The government had expected year-on-year export profits to fall by 3.5 percent. Instead, the new figures show they fell by 8.7 percent, costing China about $30 billion.
• Imports also fell by 10.6 percent, the highest drop in nearly three years.
• China’s trade surplus also dropped by 2.5 percent.

Thus, the government decided to act in order to “minimize the impact of the epidemic on economic and social development,” as its official statement said. The ccp changed its policy for the sake of its economy, not as a response to the grievances of its citizens. Economic regression is not an option.

Prophecy says: The Trumpet has often highlighted China’s emergence as an economic juggernaut rivaling the United States. That is because the Bible prophesies of China using its economic might against America very soon—and to devastating effect. That makes China’s focus on economic recovery so pertinent. Learn more about how China will mobilize its economy against the U.S. in “The Great ‘Mart of Nations.’”