GZERO World Clips
What is China’s zero-COVID policy?
What Is China’s Zero-COVID Policy? | GZERO World with Ian Bremmer
January 14, 2022
We've all heard about there being zero COVID in China. But there's more to Beijing's pandemic containment strategy, which started immediately after the initial Wuhan outbreak.
"Through swift action, lockdowns, quarantine and contact tracing, the country was able to quickly reduce cases," says Yanzhong Huang, senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations.
"The success in Wuhan led to greater implementation countrywide, and ever since Beijing has kept COVID at bay." Zero COVID, by the way, "means zero — not close to zero," which explains why Shanghai Disneyland shut down and 30,000 tests were conducted after a single suspected infection.
Despite lockdowns, Huang says the policy is quite popular in China, where many people "are even proud that the country has gotten the virus under control, especially as the United States struggles."
From Your Site Articles
- Ian Bremmer: Zero COVID no longer works, and China will pay a ... ›
- China's coming COVID crisis? - GZERO Media ›
- The Graphic Truth: COVID deaths falling in leading countries ... ›
- China isn't budging on zero-COVID - GZERO Media ›
- No optimism after Austrian leader’s meeting with Putin on Ukraine - GZERO Media ›
- China's big problem isn’t Ukraine — it’s COVID - GZERO Media ›
- Who cares if Elon Musk bought Twitter? - GZERO Media ›
- How long can China's zero-COVID policy last? - GZERO Media ›
More For You
The Houthi escalation, Venezuelan democracy, Putin in a corner, and more: Your questions, answered
Jul 29, 2026
Ian Bremmer answers reader questions about geopolitical risks and potential conflicts, from the Middle East and the South China Sea to Ukraine and Venezuela.
Most Popular
Tense elections in Kashmir, Netanyahu and Zelensky at the White House, AI-Bolsonaro turning heads in Brazil
Jul 28, 2026
People chant slogans as they walk during a protest and shutter-down strike called by the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), an alliance of civil society groups, in Neelum Valley, Pakistani Kashmir, June 21, 2026.
REUTERS/Naseer ud Din
Regional parliamentary elections began in the Pakistan-administered portion of Kashmir on Monday, but the first round of voting has been racked with violence.
Kimi K3, a new-generation AI model with 2.8 trillion parameters, is released by Moonshot AI at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) 2026 in Shanghai, China, July 20, 2026. It is currently the world's largest open-source model.
Oriental Image via Reuters Connect
Newly released Kimi K3 has become the center of a fierce debate in Washington and Silicon Valley over whether America’s “closed” approach is protecting its lead, or helping China catch up.
- YouTube
In his latest Quick Take, Ian Bremmer discusses the on-again off-again ceasefire between the United States and Iran and why it has failed to hold, arguing that both sides remain locked in a fundamental disagreement over who has the leverage.
© 2025 GZERO Media. All Rights Reserved | A Eurasia Group media company.