While the so-called “Zero-Covid policy” might have protected many lives from the direct impact of the global pandemic, it nevertheless put countless livelihoods at risk. Besides disrupting global supply chains, this self-imposed hibernation also resulted in the world’s second-largest economy seeing its second-slowest growth rate since 1976.
When resentment over draconian covid restrictions snowballed into widespread civil unrest, the country’s leadership was compelled to soften its stance. While this sudden relaxation of constraints was immediately accompanied by uncertainty and mass infections, the Chinese economy and society are returning to life.
