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As China grapples with a surge in COVID cases, President Xi Jinping met with another world leader in Beijing—without wearing a mask.
Xi's government has adopted a strict zero-COVID policy despite mounting resistance from a restriction-weary Chinese public. Bloomberg reported Friday that the leader greeted Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who was also not wearing a mask, in person and revealed a hope to "deepen trust" between their respective countries.
The meeting comes as Beijing undergoes lockdowns due to a surge in COVID cases. Certain schools have been forced to close at the same time that citizens have been instructed not to leave the city. Thursday, China faced a record spike in daily infections, with the country's tally shooting to nearly 32,000 new cases. Beijing, meanwhile, had counted more than 1,800 cases alone.
The two communist state leaders agreed to uphold their nations' "core interests" during the meeting, the Associated Press reported. Cuba's president touched down in China following a visit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, where they discussed their countries' "traditional friendship."
Xi told Díaz-Canel that China wanted to "strengthen coordination and cooperation in international and regional affairs" with Cuba, according to the AP. He also said the duo would "go hand in hand down the road of building socialism with each's own characteristics."
Underscoring Xi's meet-up is his country's stringent COVID restrictions.
On Thursday, China censored a viral post on the popular WeChat app that voiced growing frustration over the country's severe restrictions. Titled "10 Questions," the open letter attracted some 100,000 views while irked Chinese citizens compared their isolation with the FIFA World Cup's cheering crowds.
The censored WeChat letter gained considerable support on the website Weibo and asked: "The Qatar World Cup has opened. I don't see any fans wearing masks or being asked to present negative PCR tests. Are we even living on the same planet? Does COVID not harm them?"
Xi's schedule is filled with upcoming meetings with officials from Laos, Europe and Mongolia, Bloomberg reported. He shook hands with United States President Joe Biden and other authorities during the Group of 20 meeting on the island of Bali in Indonesia earlier this month and went to multiple events sans face mask.
He may have plans for a visit to Russia next year, according to Moscow's top diplomat in Beijing.
Newsweek reached out to the Chinese foreign ministry for comment.
About the writer
Simone Carter is a Newsweek reporter based in Texas. Her focus is covering all things in national news. Simone joined ... Read more