China's Coronavirus shutdowns spread beyond Shanghai...

 

Chinese workers wearing protective clothing in Shanghai. PBS/Reuters.

China's coronavirus shutdowns have spread beyond Shanghai which may lead to major economic harm. AP. Though Shanghai has loosened some restrictions, many other smaller cities are beginning to lock down as well. This will have effects on the Chinese economy which could lead to a rescission. Another fear is that China's lockdowns may disrupt the planting season, at a time when a global food crisis already seems imminent. China has pursued a "zero-covid" strategy long after most governments have abandoned most or all coronavirus restrictions. Despite the restrictions, coronavirus cases have increased in China. 

My Comment:

First, the good news. The major lockdowns and restrictions in China has had one good economic effect here in the United States. Gas prices have fallen around 50 cents due to a lower amount of demand for fuel in China. Turns out when you shut down huge cities like Shanghai demand craters and that has been good for the US consumer. 

But the rest of this news? It's absolutely terrible. The cities that are being shut down by China are some of the biggest ports and manufacturing hubs in the world. Products are not being made and the ones that are being made aren't being shipped. This will make our current supply crisis even worse than it was already and will likely contribute to the logistical crisis that also plagues our ports. 

I'm especially concerned about China disrupting their own planting season. There is already a food crisis, not only in China but globally. I have written about how wheat prices are going to skyrocket, not only because of the war in Ukraine, but because of failing winter wheat crops in both China and the United States. Keeping those farmers home and not in the fields will only make this problem worse. I don't think the Chinese will starve but their actions may cause people in the third world to starve as it will increase prices and perhaps make food too expensive for third world countries to afford.  

I do get the sense that people in China are near their breaking point. A lot of people are losing everything to these restrictions and many are afraid that they won't even be fed. That is why there are videos on social media of people getting into fights with the police and health officials. At this point they have very little to lose. 

The sad thing is how completely unnecessary this is. The current strains of the Coronavirus are not a threat to any but the most unhealthy people. Even in Shanghai, the vast majority of cases are completely asymptomatic. The virus now is the equivalent to a bad cold or a weak flu for most people and not anywhere near the threat the original Wuhan strain of the virus was. 

It makes me wonder if the Chinese people understand this. In my state pretty much all restrictions are gone and everyone is basically living normal lives now. Do people in China see how people here in the United States are living? Or even how people in formally restrictive countries in Europe are living now? If they are, how can it not be building resentment? 

I just don't understand why China is still using the "zero-covid" strategy. Other countries that have are giving it up because the damage it does is not worth the supposed benefits. Plus, it doesn't work, the virus will spread eventually because it is now endemic in the human population. It's impossible to stop an outbreak now and given how harmless the virus now is, you shouldn't even try. 

It almost makes me wonder if there isn't more going on here. Many in the media have speculated that China's vaccines are garbage but that shouldn't matter because the West's vaccines aren't much better. My guess is that China is worried that the virus is more dangerous long term than we realize. Given it most likely escaped from one of their bioresearch lab, I fear that might be possible. But given the facts of the matter it seems very unlikely and could just be an example of China's paranoia. 

Either way, China has proven again to be a totalitarian state. No free country would lock people in their apartments without access to money or food over a virus that hardly kills anyone anymore. They have gone far beyond what is reasonable or sane to stop this virus and part of me hope that the Chinese people rise up and overthrow the communist regime in China...