The Fox News host opened his show with a lengthy segment on the strict policies currently being enforced in Shanghai as part of China’s “zero COVID” policy.
The country’s leaders pursue to free their shores of the virus entirely, and as soon as one case is recorded, huge swathes of the country are forced into lockdown. Western experts caution it is not tolerable, and footage on social media has shown desperate citizens of Shanghai begging for food. One man’s pet corgi was beaten to death by a health worker after the owner was taken away and put into isolation with suspected COVID. “You have 25 million people locked inside their homes,” said Carlson.
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“You have the largest prison camp in human history.”
Carlson added: “If you believe in democracy, this is repugnant. Twenty-five million people just lost their most basic human rights.
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“So, the question is, has anyone in the Biden administration, which is constantly lecturing us about democracy and human rights, said anything about this? Has the State Department issued an angry denunciation of Xi Jinping? Is the U.S. government threatening sanctions against China for building the world’s largest prison camp?
He contended that President Xi Jinping’s government was locking the city down not because of the virus but because it was the most accessible place in his country and posed a danger to his authoritarian country.
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The city - home to 25 million - has seen its case count rise to 23,000 in a week.
“This is again the richest city in China, and you never thought you’d see anything like this,” he said.
“So the question is: What is going on here?
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“Obviously, it’s not about COVID. Let’s stop pretending. Shanghai does not have a COVID crisis.
“Even if Shanghai did have a COVID crisis, we know perfectly well from recent experience this is not the way to handle a COVID crisis.
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“So, from the perspective of China’s central government, the problem is not COVID. The problem is Shanghai itself.”
Carlson said Shanghai was singled out because it was independent-minded and home to many international residents.
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“Shanghai is probably the freest place in China,” he said.
“It's certainly got more foreign nationals than any city in China. They’re drawn by the trade that revolves around its historic port.
“So, by Chinese standards, Shanghai is an independent-minded city, and that’s the problem. For authoritarians, independent mindedness is the main threat.”
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