Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey slammed the Chinese Communist Party over the weekend in response to a report on Beijing’s continuing embrace of draconian policies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dorsey tweeted in response to a June 2 report from CNN’s Selina Wang that provided an inside look at China’s “Zero COVID” strategy in Beijing – which includes mandatory COVID-19 testing with color-coded access to public areas depending on the results and tracking apps that have exacerbated fears of government surveillance.
“End the CPP,” Dorsey tweeted in response to the report.
China has repeatedly implemented lockdowns in major cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, in a bid to prevent the spread of COVID-19 cases. It’s unclear what prompted Dorsey to speak out about the CCP’s actions.
In her report on the lockdowns, Wang noted that only residents who clear COVID-19 testing and receive “green code” are free to access public areas.
“After more than two years of these on and off restrictions, people are getting frustrated,” Wang said. “Every part of our days are tracked and surveilled. People are concerned that this control is here to stay long after COVID is gone.”
Dorsey stepped down as Twitter’s CEO last November. Under his watch, the social media giant cracked down on bot accounts that were tweeting “predominantly in Chinese languages and spreading geopolitical narratives favorable to the Communist Party of China (CCP).”
Twitter also applies a label to the accounts of individuals or media outlets with ties to the CCP.
Dorsey’s tweet comes during a period of heightened tensions between the US and China over Beijing’s combative stance toward Taiwan.
China has conducted military drills in recent days, including a simulated attack on Taiwan, after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited to the island last week. Pelosi was the highest-ranking US official to visit Taiwan in decades.
The US has warned China against taking military action toward the democratically governed island nation, which the Chinese government views as part of its territory.
