This is definitely one of those moments in time where I would *love* to skip forward briefly just to see how it all turns out.
I can envision a world in which China manages to keep a lid on even Omicron for another 2-3 years at escalating cost to the economy but preserving the popular sentiment that it values the lives of ordinary people over the wealth of the rich. Or one in which it throws in the towel later this year after pretty much forcing everyone to get a third Sinovac round, losing that sentiment boost but hopefully avoiding a complete cratering of the economy.
What I can't tell is which of these would actually be better for the Party in the long run. And if there's some way to split the difference, a third option that lets them thread the needle?
This is definitely one of those moments in time where I would *love* to skip forward briefly just to see how it all turns out.
I can envision a world in which China manages to keep a lid on even Omicron for another 2-3 years at escalating cost to the economy but preserving the popular sentiment that it values the lives of ordinary people over the wealth of the rich. Or one in which it throws in the towel later this year after pretty much forcing everyone to get a third Sinovac round, losing that sentiment boost but hopefully avoiding a complete cratering of the economy.
What I can't tell is which of these would actually be better for the Party in the long run. And if there's some way to split the difference, a third option that lets them thread the needle?