China’s Leaders Stick to ‘Zero-Covid’ Despite Economic Slowdown, Analysts Say

China’s Politburo, the top decision-making body led by President Xi Jinping, has signaled that leaders will stick to the “zero-Covid” strategy despite an economic slowdown, analysts say.

While reiterating the need to better manage Covid containment alongside socio-economic development, a Thursday meeting of the 25-member Politburo retained its long-held zero-Covid stance and called for effective tracing of new variants and development of new vaccines and drugs, according to a report published by Xinhua News Agency.