[Beijing Diary] Sun Chunlan and Anthony Fauci

Sun Chunlan, Vice Premier of the State Council (Photo by China CCTV)

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Kim Hyunjung] "China's vaccination rate has surpassed 90%, and with the reduced pathogenicity of the Omicron variant, conditions have been set for improving quarantine measures."

There is one figure recently stirring both China and global stock markets with just a few words. The protagonist is Sun Chunlan, Vice Premier of the State Council, known as the commander of China's COVID-19 prevention efforts. On the 30th of last month and the 1st of this month, Vice Premier Sun sent consistent signals. COVID-19 is no longer a fearful infectious disease, and going forward, appropriate prevention and control measures will be implemented. Although she did not explicitly state this, many interpret Vice Premier Sun's remarks as meaning China is one step closer to a "with-COVID" approach, sparking hopeful speculation. Such expectations have lifted the plunging value of the yuan and the stock prices of Chinese companies listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange.

Will China really reopen soon (reopening meaning the full resumption of economic activities), as everyone hopes? From the perspective of a Beijing resident and a stakeholder in quarantine policies, the situation does not look smooth. Setting everything else aside, just considering the person sending these signals makes it ambiguous to accept them unconditionally.

The person who took the lead in suggesting easing quarantine measures after the large-scale protests in China at the end of last month is the aforementioned Vice Premier Sun Chunlan. Her portfolio covers social, scientific, cultural, and health sectors. She is a self-made politician who started her career as a female worker in a watch factory after graduating from a vocational high school and rose to the position of Vice Premier of the State Council, but her term as a responsible official is about to expire. Retirement was decided following the subsequent appointments after the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party held in October. Having led the frontline in easing quarantine measures, she is now only left with the process of stepping down, whether by dismissal or term expiration.

It also raises suspicion that although China advocates "scientific quarantine," it does not put prominent domestic research institutions or specialized organizations fully in charge of responsibility. Vice Premier Sun is not an expert in viruses or quarantine. Until just before her appointment as Vice Premier, she served as head of the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party. The general assessment of her is that she is a figure specialized in external propaganda and communication.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In that sense, the weight of Vice Premier Sun's remarks cannot help but be compared to that of Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), who led the U.S. COVID-19 response. Of course, the U.S. also cannot be said to have succeeded in quarantine, having produced numerous confirmed cases and deaths due to initial response failures. Moreover, Dr. Fauci stepped down after his final briefing encouraging vaccination at the end of last month. However, Dr. Fauci is a physician and a nearly 40-year leader in the field of infectious diseases at NIAID, an identity he carries like a tattoo. He held his position during outbreaks of Zika, AIDS, and Ebola viruses.

After Vice Premier Sun mentioned scientific quarantine and vaccines, Beijing's quarantine system entered a period of great confusion. As the city announced extensively, presenting PCR test results is no longer required when boarding buses, but it is mandatory for entering open national parks. Although elementary and secondary school students attending online classes are not required to undergo PCR testing, whether offline classes, which require submission of test results, will resume the next day remains unannounced even until evening when testing centers close. Parents, worried about the possibility, must play a game of chance with testing centers that arbitrarily close at any time when they go out for testing.