February 15, 2023, 9:18 AM
February 15, 2023, 9:18 AM
Hundreds of retirees protested this Wednesday, February 15, 2023 in the central Chinese city of Wuhan against cuts in their social benefits, according to videos shared on social networks. A crowd gathered at the entrance to Zhongshan Park, a popular place for a walk in this city of 11 million inhabitants, confirmed witnesses interviewed by the AFP news agency.
A video broadcast on social networks shows security agents in a human chain at the entrance of the park to prevent the protesters from entering. The images, still available on international services such as Twitter (censored in China), circulated on local social networks such as Weibo or Douyin (the Chinese version of Tiktok, the popular Chinese network that is not used in China) before being deleted.
Deleted from Chinese networks
Searching for the word “Wuhan” on Weibo no longer returns any results related to protests, as is often the case on Chinese networks in cases of demonstrations or social unrest. AFP could not immediately authenticate those images. But a contributor to the English-language DW service broadcast his own recordings live from Wuhan.
A witness confirmed to AFP that hundreds of elderly people also demonstrated in the streets of Dalian (northeast). The demonstration began in the morning and dispersed in the afternoon. “Give us back our health insurance money!” is heard chanting in a video taken in Dalian, which AFP was able to geolocate in People’s Square, where several official buildings are located.
Less money but more coverage, authorities promise
The protests are rooted in the reduction of social benefits for the elderly in these cities, who have seen their monthly allowance for medical expenses cut. This reduction is part of a reform undertaken by several Chinese localities of the health expense reimbursement system.
Last weekend, the Wuhan authorities explained on a government website that, thanks to the reform, the reduction in the amount transferred to retirees is more than offset by greater treatment coverage.
The health insurance reform in China is a major project that has been progressively implemented since 2021. Under this reform, the monthly benefit provided to retirees was reduced from February 1.
Risk of aggravating social tensions in China
“If Beijing fails to apply it correctly, there is a risk of aggravating social tensions and anger” against the government, warn analysts at SinoInsider, a center specializing in Chinese politics and economics, in a note.
Demonstrations are rare in China, where authorities strictly enforce public order laws and protest movements quickly peter out.
However, various reasons for exasperation, in particular due to the sanitary restrictions against covid-19, have motivated some protests in recent months, despite the risk of arrests.
The health insurance reform comes as local government finances are being tested after three years of costly zero-covid policy.
