Did Xi Jinping create tension in Ladakh to mask domestic troubles

Coronavirus emerged as the biggest challenge to all-powerful Chinese President Xi Jinping. The virus is making resurgence in some Chinese cities, including the original epicentre, Wuhan.

The general public of China, otherwise ingrained to toe the communist regime, feels the government mismanaged the coronavirus situation, putting lives of millions at risk. They are now angry at the government for trying to muzzle voices that tried to alert them about the dangerous nature of this virus. This is evident from the recently published ‘Wuhan Diary’ by Fang Fang.

China has long depended on having a labour-intensive economy, where some 20 crore migrant labourers are estimated to be working. With coronavirus lockdown extending for more than two months, China has a bigger migrant problem than India.

Estimates vary but different agencies say 5-13 crore workers have been laid off or furloughed in China under the impact of coronavirus. Data are not transparent but rising unemployment can be corroborated from Chinese government’s decision to massively raise allotment for unemployment allowance fund from around $27-28 billion to over $82 billion. This fund is comparable with the EPFO fund in India.

Still China has been witnessing protests by rural migrant workers. According to the China Labour Bulletin, a Hong Kong-based NGO monitoring workers and labourers’ issues in China, around 50 protests by migrants took place in China during the coronavirus lockdown. Among the protesters were also construction workers who helped build new hospitals for Covid-19 patients. They were protesting over wages.

These protests were happening while China was battling the coronavirus and tackling protests in Hong Kong over a new law – passed Thursday by Chinese parliament or the National People’s Congress – that ends “one country, two system” rule. It was under this formula that China had taken control of Hong Kong from the UK in 1997.