Xi says 'frustrated students' to blame for Covid protests
The Independent|December 04, 2022
China's president Xi Jinping has blamed the continuing protests against the country's strict Covid restrictions on "frustrated students", according to a report.
SRAVASTI DASGUPTA
Xi says 'frustrated students' to blame for Covid protests

His comments came during a three-hour meeting in Beijing on Thursday between Mr Xi and European Council president Charles Michel, reported the South China Morning Post.

During the meeting, Mr Michel "pleaded for use of vaccines and then raised the question of China's measures and government measures", a senior EU official was quoted as saying. "And the response we got from the president was explaining why there were protests, claiming that after three years of Covid he had an issue because people were frustrated. It was mainly students, or teenagers in university," they added.

While the Xi administration has not openly commented on the ongoing protests in the country, the president's remarks during his meeting with Mr Michel are reportedly his first in relation to the unrest.

This story is from the December 04, 2022 edition of The Independent.

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This story is from the December 04, 2022 edition of The Independent.

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