With ‘Zero Covid’, China has proven its ability to control well. Administration is more difficult.

A widely circulated WeChat article Speculation that the shortage of antipyretics reflects the government’s lack of preparation for the easing of controls. And if the government shows the same political will as it does when it comes to “no Covid”, the paper argues, then the government can ensure there is an adequate supply of such drugs.

“It doesn’t care about ordinary people, lets them fend for themselves and even enjoys their chaos,” the article said, calling on officials to appear where the public needs them most. to regain trust.

Low trust in government is forcing people to help themselves and each other. In local WeChat groups, people have arranged to share fever reducers and rapid testing kits with their neighbors.

Tencent, the social media giant, has also built a WeChat program where people can ask for drugs from strangers for extra money. The requests for help were modest: six acetaminophen tablets; four ibuprofen tablets; two sets of quick tests; a thermometer.

They are asking strangers for help because they are not getting it from their government.

“Do not expect anything from Leviathan – appeal is also futile,” Chen Min, a former journalist known by the pseudonym Xiao Shu, wrote on his WeChat timeline, referring to the central government. “Ultimately, we have to help ourselves.”

Only by building a vast network of social connections, he continues, “can we weave a real social safety net in our darkest hour, building a Noah’s Ark. really and saved countless lives.”

This is exactly the kind of governance crisis that Mr. Xi warned the party about.

“We cannot judge the capacity or effectiveness of our party’s governance; they must and can only be judged by the people,” Mr. Xi said in a speech in 2013. “If we are conceited and separate from the people or put ourselves above them, we will certainly be judged. they abandoned. This is the case for any party, and is iron law that admits no exceptions.”