Reports of huge demonstrations in China over coronavirus lockdowns prompted a muted response from the White House, which said it backed peaceful gatherings.
We have always thought everyone has the right to peacefully demonstrate here in the United States and throughout the world,” the White House National Security Council stated in a statement provided to the press. Just like in the People’s Republic of China.
It was noted over the weekend by detractors that the White House had said nothing in defense of the protesters. As a result, the announcement was made public on a Monday.
During Monday’s news briefing, White House coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby reaffirmed the president’s backing for the right to peaceful protest.
Kirby said, “The president’s not going to speak for protestors throughout the world; they’re speaking for themselves,” when asked whether he had a message for the demonstrators in China.
Kirby and the White House remained silent in the face of China’s fatal authoritarian crackdowns on the rallies and the country’s attempt to stifle online protestors.
President Biden returned to Washington, DC, on Sunday evening after spending most of the Thanksgiving holiday on Nantucket. He has not addressed the media since his return. On Monday afternoon, he also held a special reception at the White House for Nobel Prize winners.
In a statement, the White House agreed with the World Health Organization that China’s “zero COVID” crackdown tactics would make it “very difficult” for China to contain the virus.
U.S. officials said in a statement that increasing vaccination rates and raising awareness about testing and early treatment might help stop the spread of the virus.
It seems that Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s efforts to quell protests and preserve his coronavirus containment strategy have fallen on deaf ears.
After a fire in an apartment building in Urumqi claimed the lives of ten individuals, there was another round of protests against the city’s lockdown policies.