Opinion | Winter Olympics equal to a home run against unfriendly criticisms on China's COVID-Zero policy

By Edward Hei Leung, LegCo Member

At Beijing, the Olympic flame got extinguished this Sunday (Feb. 20), marking the end of Winter Olympics 2022. Thomas Bach, the International Olympic Committee President, officially gave thanks to China and its people for staging the event safely. Undoubtedly, the tremendous success of the Winter Games mounts the best counterattack against western criticisms that devalue China's zero coronavirus policy.

Back to Tokyo Olympics 2020, the time when the host country faced with a record high on coronavirus cases. The daily infection rose from a few thousands in mid-July to more than 15,000 in early August. No matter how many gold medals the Japanese team had won, the uncontrolled spread of virus severely jeopardized Tokyo citizens at that moment. Unlike Tokyo, Beijing has successfully maintained a low infection rate, even though more than 180 athletes and team officials were tested positive after arriving in China. Thomas Bach even called the closed loop as one of the safest places on Earth.

Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published an article titled "China's Zero-COVID Policy Holds Lessons for Other Nations". As written, geopolitical tension devalues the achievement of dynamic clearing by which part of the population endures tougher restrictions and disruption for a short while. Outside the bubble, citizens live as normally as they did, with shops, museums and offices operating. Aside from WSJ, Amy Qin, an international correspondent of New York Times, named the Winter Games as a Zero-COVID Olympics. After reporting a few locally transmitted cases in Beijing, her colleague, Sabrina Tavernise, added "That is crazy, I mean, China has a billion people. The United States has 330 million and has had a million deaths."

In fact, the key to success is simple, namely public trust. According to Goldman Sachs's Index of restrictions and mobility, COVID-19 epidemic did not seriously affect life in China. People in the country trust their government and are willing to cooperate. Can you imagine an untrustworthy governance gathering around 19,000 local volunteers who agreed to spend up to two months away from their family relatives to support the Games? Yet, in the US, some politicians question the necessity of mask mandates and social distancing measures, not to mention the vaccination. COVID-19 conspiracy theorists, vaccine opponents and lateral thinkers prevail in western world. Edelman Trust Barometer identified US institution as one of the biggest losers last year with a collapse of trust as a result.

Actions always speak louder than words. Despite numerous, unfriendly criticisms upon China's Zero-COVID measures, Beijing Winter Olympics demonstrates the national capacity to keep Omicron at bay, somewhat other countries fail to accomplish. To put it simple, described by Dr. Karen Grépin, an HKU associate professor, the closed-loop arrangement successfully controlled a highly contagious disease, in light of many people flying from countries currently being ravaged by Omicron. It is a kind of feat that can't be denied to China.

Beijing Winter Olympics not only demonstrate possibly the greenest Games ever in Olympics history, with zero-emission torches, green electricity and the reuse of venues, but also hold a lesson on how to maintain a virus-free environment during an international event. As an old Chinese saying goes, the closer you are, the easier for you to get something you want. Hong Kong governance must learn the principles of dynamic clearing more, instead of unconditionally embracing western ideas and values, especially when our society suffers from the fifth COVID-19 wave.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.

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