Photo/Illutration Protesters hold up blank sheets of white paper as they hold a vigil for victims of a recent Urumqi deadly fire at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in Hong Kong on Nov. 28. (AP Photo)

BEIJING--Foreign embassies and business organizations here are criticizing the Chinese government for not carrying through with an announced plan to alleviate severe restrictions that are part of its “zero-corona” policy.

The Chinese government on Nov. 11 announced it was relaxing some COVID-19 restrictions, such as the self-quarantine period.

But the French Embassy issued a statement on Nov. 24 pointing out that some local governments of areas where there are no COVID-19 patients continue to implement lockdowns. Businesses need a fair environment where measures are transparent and foreseeable, the statement read.

The embassy’s statement quoted from the French Chamber of Commerce in China and called for the retraction of unnecessary and excessive restrictions.

Many business organizations are concerned that continuing with the zero-corona policy could negatively impact China’s economic growth, with some saying the growth rate will not likely reach projections.

The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China released a document on Nov. 23 that it had submitted to the Chinese government criticizing local governments for their heavy-handed approach in suddenly calling for business stoppages through informal channels while avoiding issuing formal notices.

The statement said such actions heightened uncertainty about the business environment.

The zero-corona policy was intended to buy time, an executive of the European Union Chamber of Commerce said, but the administration of Chinese President Xi Jinping made little progress during that bought time.

Results from a survey of about 300 member companies by the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai released on Oct. 28 showed only 47 percent who responded said sales this year would increase over the previous year. That is the lowest figure over the past decade.

A combined 55 percent of responding companies said they were optimistic or somewhat optimistic about their business plans for the next five years, the lowest percentage since such surveys began in 1999.

Nomura International (Hong Kong) Ltd., a member of the Nomura Holdings Inc. group, on Nov. 28 released the results of its analysis finding that about 530 million Chinese in 68 cities were affected by the lockdowns and other travel restrictions. The figure was an increase of 100 million over the previous week.

The analysis said that would affect 25 percent of China’s gross domestic product, exceeding the effects of the Shanghai lockdown in the spring.

The company also decreased its projected economic growth rate for the October-December quarter from 2.8 percent to 2.4 percent and for the entire year from 2.9 percent to 2.8 percent.

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