Covid outbreak in Tibet Autonomous Region impacts growth in China

BEIJING: Surge in covid cases in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) has given a severe blow to Chinese authorities to achieve their annual growth targets as the impact is seen on the already slowing Chinese economy, media reports said.

Xi Jinping's strict zero-Covid policy has forced major cities of TAR to conduct mass testing, and the authorities have shut down indoor entertainment, cultural, and sports venues, Financial Post reported.

Moreover, the TAR authorities imposed lockdowns in the major cities of the region including Lhasa, Shigatse (Opposite Sikkim), Shannan (opposite Tawang), Nagri (opposite Ladakh and Uttrakhand), Nagchu, Nyingchi (opposite Arunachal Pradesh) and Chamdo, etc which ultimately lead to falling tourism revenue.

However, the surge in covid-19 cases in Tibet has been a result of the Chinese tourists visiting Tibet mainly by train from mainland China. On top of it, the major causes of the slump in the Chinese economy are due to numerous issues like unemployment, and slowing manufacturing.

Meanwhile, the ongoing atrocities against Tibetans inside Tibet have appeared on Chinese social media platforms like Weibo, Wechat, TikTok, and other digital communication channels detailing the abusive behaviors of Chinese police and other officials, the Financial Post reported.

As a result of the ascent in covid cases in numerous regions of Chinese cities and TAR, China has abandoned official growth targets as the property sector revenue has suffered a downfall of 31.4 per cent in 2022, putting pressure on GDP.

Teachers and officials across China have been ordered to pay back bonuses amid the economic slump and civil service bonuses have been suspended in Shanghai, Jiangxi, Henan, Shandong, Chongqing, Hubei, and Guangdong, as the revenue shortages continue to be seen in Central and Provincial governments.

The road seems to be tough for China due to the need for reworking and restructuring the ruptured industrial chain as a result of the Covid pandemic, the pressure of carbon reduction, and global supply chain disruptions, Financial Post reported. China's COVID mismanagement and stringent measures under its so-called 'Zero Covid policy' have wreaked havoc in Tibet Plateau, while CCP maintains a tight information blockade from the information of and from Tibet.

China was at the center of the COVID-19 outbreak in the world, the whole suffered millions of deaths in the past 2 years. But when entire China and many parts of the world were reeling under the coronavirus crisis, Tibet remained untouched except for one case at the beginning of the pandemic.

Tibet did not see a Covid-19 case for over 900 days. While most of the world is free from coronavirus infections, many Chinese provinces are suffering from the viral disease. Now, Tibet has also come under its grip, for which people are blaming Chinese agencies, reported Tibet Press.

Tibetans blame they did not get proper medical care or sanitation services from the Chinese authorities despite rising Covid-19 cases. Tibetans also complained of overbearing treatment by government officials, who are forcing people to go into mandatory quarantine without verifying if they are Covid-10 positive or not.

Chinese President Xi Jinping enforced similar stringent conditions in Tibet as they were in other parts of China earlier under the 'Zero Covid' policy. Tibetans are taken to quarantine facilities or forced to stay inside their homes.

This has caused them to lose their jobs and source of livelihood, besides mental harassment.