Hundreds of retirees have taken to the streets of the Chinese cities of Wuhan and Dalian to protest against cuts to medical benefits, following rare demonstrations in November that led to the end of China’s controversial “zero-COVID” policy.
In the central city of Wuhan, videos posted online yesterday showed hundreds of mainly elderly people outside the city’s central Zhongshan Park.
One video from Wuhan, home to about 11 million people, that was verified by newsmen, showed protesters and uniformed security guards pushing and shoving each other.
In the northeastern city of Dalian, hundreds also took to the streets to protest the health insurance reforms.
Protests are rare in China but public anger does sometimes erupt, including widespread protests last year against the strict anti-pandemic measures that had been in force for nearly three years under the zero-COVID policy of President Xi Jinping.
