◀ anchor ▶
The Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, scheduled to be held in September, have been postponed.
There has been no announcement of when it will reopen.
The reason for the postponement is because of the current corona situation in Shanghai, which is close to Hangzhou, but above all, it seems to be intended to eliminate the possibility of the spread of Corona 19 in advance ahead of the party congress, which will be the third consecutive year of President Xi Jinping in November.
I am Correspondent Lee Hae-in from Beijing.
◀ Report ▶
Chinese state media reported today that the Hangzhou Asian Games, scheduled for September this year, will be postponed.
The Summer Universiade, scheduled to be held in Chengdu next month, has also been postponed.
[CCTV 보도 / 오늘]
“The 19th Asian Games, scheduled to be held in Hangzhou, China from September 10 to 25, 2022, has been postponed. The specific date will be announced later.”
It is because of the Corona situation in Shanghai that China has lost its pride and postponed an international competition that attracts the attention of the world.
In Shanghai, where the 40-day lockdown has passed, there are still more than 4,000 confirmed cases every day.
Hangzhou is only 180 km from Shanghai.
Since it is a commuter life that takes less than 50 minutes by high-speed rail, theories about the postponement of the Asian Games have been raised.
Protests that have never been seen in China are also continuing due to prolonged lockdowns and material shortages.
In November this year, the Communist Party Congress is scheduled to determine President Xi Jinping’s third consecutive term.
There is no guarantee that public dissension like Shanghai will not appear in other places if the spread of Corona becomes more serious after bringing in a large number of foreign entrants at an important time to read the public sentiment.
This is also the reason why there is a forecast that the Asian Games will be held this year.
This postponement decision confirmed that the most important thing for China is ultimately the political stability of the Xi Jinping regime.
It will not be easy for President Xi Jinping to give up on his zero-corona policy because he is denying his achievements.
However, with the whole world going to ‘with Corona’, I wonder if only China can remain as an ‘isolated country’ and when the Asian Games will be held again in China.
This is Lee Hae-in from MBC News in Beijing.
Video coverage: Farewell (Beijing)
Video Editing: Yoo Da-hye
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