'Can you repeat the question?': Chinese official takes a long pause when asked Covid questions

China is reeling under growing Covid cases and the protests right now, and when asked about the government's plan ahead, the official neither had an answer nor a clue.

Beijing, Nov 30: As China is struggling to control the spread of Covid-19 and rising protests against its 'Zero-Covid Policy'across the country, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the officials to respond to the questions related to the country's policy on Covid or the ongoing protests. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian took a long pause to respond to a question asked by a Reuters journalist.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson was addressing the press when a Reuters journalist asked the spokesperson, "Given the widespread display of anger and frustration at the zero Covid policy in recent days across China, is China thinking about ending it and if so, when?"

The Chinese spokesperson took a long pause of 20 seconds. He was looking down sifting papers in front of him and asked the reporter to repeat the question. For a few seconds, the spokesperson was speechless. Again he took a small pause and then responded, "What you mentioned does not reflect what happened."

The video of the moment was shared by Kalsang Jigme. He tweeted the video with the caption, ""Awkward silence: China official @zlj517 speechless after question on ongoing peaceful protests in China.

Protests against China's zero-Covid policy rising:

As Covid-19 started spreading again in the mainland, the Chinese administration imposed zero-Covid Policy with stringent measures. Following that, several Chinese cities, including the capital city of Beijing and Shanghai, witnessed mass protests.

However, the Chinese administration deployed police forces to crackdown on the protestors. The police have sealed the site of the protest where the anti-government protests took place. Students have been asked to go to their hometowns after it was found that they took part in anti-government protests.

The agitated protestors also protested against Chinese President Xi Jinping, which has been chosen for the third term as the President.

Protesters in Shanghai on Saturday and Sunday called on Chinese President Xi Jinping and the ruling Communist Party to step down besides opposing the lockdowns and forcible evictions of people into coronavirus medical shelters. Student protests also broke out at the Tsinghua University in Beijing and Communication University in Nanjing, reported news agency PTI.

China also detained a BBC journalist who was covering the ongoing protests against the stringent zero-Covid policy in China.