The Briefing Room

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David Aaronovitch presents in-depth explainers on big issues in the news.

David Aaronovitch and a panel of experts and insiders present in-depth explainers on big issues in the news.

David Aaronovitch and a panel of experts and insiders present in-depth explainers on big issues in the news

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The Briefing Room: China's winter of discontent

01/12/2022

China's winter of discontent

BBC Radio 4 - The Briefing Room, China's winter of discontent

What's behind the protests and dissent against the Chinese leader Xi Jinping?

David Aaronovitch and guests discuss the recent protests in China and ask what they mean for the Chinese Communist Party and the country's citizens.

Chants of ‘Xi Jinping step down’ were heard on the lips of some demonstrators in China last weekend. A rare example of dissent against the Chinese leader. 

The cause of the protestors fury is pretty clear – nearly three years of the government’s zero-Covid policy has proved too much to bear for many Chinese.

The Chinese Communist Party acted quickly by sending police to protest sites and increasing online censorship. But on Tuesday some local health officials began suggesting that they needed to lift lockdowns ‘as quickly as possible’.

Will that be enough to prevent further protests in China, and how will Xi Jinping and his government respond to recent events?  

Joining David Aaronovitch in The Briefing Room are:

David Rennie, Beijing bureau chief at The Economist
Kerry Allen, Chinese media analyst at BBC News
Dr Yu Jie, senior research fellow on China in the Asia-Pacific programme at Chatham House 
Professor Steven Tsang, director at SOAS China Institute
 

Producers: Ben Carter, Kirsteen Knight and Daniel Gordon
Editor: Simon Watts
Studio manager: Graham Puddifoot
Production co-ordinators: Siobhan Reed & Helena Warwick-Cross

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

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