Beijing is likely to relax or lift its long-held “dynamic zero” coronavirus policy as China faces mounting economic pressure.

On March 5, Chinese leader Xi Jinping changed his wording on the pandemic for the first time, dropping talk of a “dynamic zero” and instead urging party officials to “hold the bottom line of preventing the COVID cases from massive resurgence,” according to state media. He made his statement in a speech to delegates from the northern Chinese region of Inner Mongolia, who attended an annual conference of China’s rubber-stamp legislature, the National People’s Congress of China.

“Dynamic Zero” is our country’s response during a given period,” China CDC chief epidemiologist Zeng Guan wrote on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, on February 27. “It won’t remain unchanged forever.”

Although much of his post defended China’s ongoing COVID-zero stance, it predicted China would ultimately abandon the policy, including mass testing, quarantine, and lockdowns.

“In the near future, [China] will definitely unveil its roadmap featuring China-style coexistence with the virus at a suitable time,” the CDC chief added.

Previously, another China CDC epidemiologist Wu Zunyou expressed on February 15 at a forum hosted by Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies that both private businesses and citizens will face severe pressures to survive if the policy drags on. He said that Beijing was considering changing its COVID- zero policy as the world was about to embrace full resumption.

We also noted that COVID-19 cases would naturally decline even without any curbs imposed, citing India as an example, which experienced a peak in infections in April and May 2021 and then a fast plummet.

Around March 2, districts in Hohhot, the provincial capital of China’s Inner Mongolia, were designated high and medium risk areas following reports of new confirmed COVID-19 cases. However, some districts-imposed lockdowns while others did not, an interviewee surnamed Feng at Inner Mongolia Normal University told The Epoch Times.

“The CCP officials know COVID-zero is impossible,” Japan-based commentator Chao Jie told the Epoch Times. That explains why the local authorities loosened the ongoing practice in part of the city, he said.