China’s controversial zero-Covid policy expected to remain

Passers-by watch an outdoor screen showing the live speech of Chinese President Xi Jinping during the opening session of the 20th Chinese Communist Party Congress in Hangzhou, in China's eastern Zhejiang province on Oct 16, 2022. - Photo: AFP

BEIJING: China is unlikely to open up in the near future, with President Xi Jinping hinting that the controversial zero-Covid policy will stay on.

Speaking at the opening of the Communist Party of China’s 20th national congress here, Xi emphasised that the party insisted on putting human lives above all else.