WASHINGTON — 

The wave of new crown infections after China relaxed control has aroused dissatisfaction among supporters of "clearing" on the Internet. However, the "clearance faction", which includes many nationalist bloggers, did not point the finger at the Chinese government but blamed the protesters who previously opposed the blockade and the Chinese media that responded to the authorities' "liberalization" policy.


"Mothers and fathers who have lost children to COVID-19, young people who are suffering at home, middle-aged people who have lost parents and elders at home," wrote a blogger called Safe Haven for Defense. "Remember every selfish Tang Fei, every media that fuels the flames, and the Frisbee."


"Tang Fei" refers to "lying bandits." This is the pejorative nickname given to the "letting go" or "laying flat" by the "zero clearing group".


After insisting on "dynamic zeroing" for three years, the Chinese authorities suddenly abandoned this policy in early December. The Wall Street Journal previously quoted sources as saying that Foxconn President Terry Gou stated in a letter to Chinese leaders in early November the harm that continued blockade would bring to the economy, prompting China to accelerate the pace of relaxation. The "white paper campaign" at the end of November was used by some government advisers to urge the authorities to further unblock.


But medical and health experts have also previously warned that an ill-prepared opening means China could see a surge in hospitalizations and deaths, especially among the elderly and those with chronic illnesses.


Citizens of Beijing line up for a nucleic acid test in front of a slogan wall promoting Xi Jinping Thoughts.  (December 5, 2022)

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Chinese history writer Zhang Yi'an revealed on Weibo on Tuesday (December 13) that his mother, who was suffering from terminal lung cancer, died after contracting a new crown in the hospital.


"In this lifetime I am at odds with the lie bandits," he wrote.


Many people also believe that the protesters against "clearing" should be responsible for this. A netizen wrote: "In my eyes, there is no difference between Nanzhuan students and murderers. I have hated and discriminated against Nanzhuan students all my life.


" a Chinese university. The post received thousands of likes.


Hu Xijin, a well-known pro-government commentator in China and former editor-in-chief of the Global Times, has also become the target of attacks by the "clearance faction".


In the past few days, Hu Xijin has sent multiple posts trying to appease the panicked people due to infection and insufficient medicines, appealing not to only see "disorder and chaos", and cheering for the decision to "let go".


"This is a strategic liberalization, and there is some haste at the tactical level, but this kind of haste is also willing to bear by most people because it is our common new choice. You have reason to criticize the government for not doing it right. Feet, various specific deficiencies, but please participate in building a fortress and join the torrent. Let's break through together," he wrote on Weibo.


This aroused the dissatisfaction of the "zero clearing faction", who believed that Hu Xijin, who had a certain social status and privileges, was making sarcastic remarks.


Blogger "Ziwu Xiashi," wrote: "The rich have rich ideas, the poor have poor solutions, the rich eat Pfizer, and the poor buy expensive medicines. Not everyone is Hu Xijin.

" Under Weibo, where he died of the new crown infection, many users asked Hu Xi to come in and out to help. A comment with the most likes wrote: "Some people enjoy the glory of 'life guardians' while enjoying the shelter of special rights. @胡志进"


However, Hu Xijin is not the only supporter of "letting go" in the Chinese media recently the sound of. The Chinese media, headed by the official mouthpiece "People's Daily", collectively made a 180-degree turn last week in reporting on the epidemic, changing from warning of the seriousness of the epidemic to educating the public that the virus is not scary. This change in attitude occurred before and after the authorities issued the "New Ten Articles" and ended the blockade.


Despite criticizing the media and the "Lieping faction", the "Cleaning faction", which includes many nationalists, refused to criticize the Chinese government that ended the blockade and even expressed understanding of the government's decision-making.

The blogger "Mu Chan Gu Yan" wrote: "Letting go is the last resort, and ordinary people can understand it. Just make it clear and prepare well. Our ordinary people can be said to be the most general-minded people in the world. .”

As for the practice of the “zero-clearers” to circumvent the government’s criticism of the “liberalization” policy, Hong Guangyu, a popular science blogger, pointed out the contradictions in it on Weibo: “The extreme zero-clearers are most entangled in the issue of epidemic prevention. They believe in the country in terms of various major policies. They believe that the country has experts and think tanks in various fields to make suggestions, and the information collected from various channels can know the economic situation of foreign trade and industry. It must be more thoughtful than ordinary people, but when it comes to their teeth In the ninth edition (importation is relaxed to 7+3), they thought it was a traitor, and all those thoughtful think tanks disappeared at this time."