Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang region and where the protests first erupted, will reopen malls, markets, restaurants and other venues from Monday, authorities said, ending strict lockdowns after months.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping is unwilling to accept Western vaccines despite the challenges China is facing with COVID-19, US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping stated in his initial response to the unprecedented mass protests against his strict zero-Covid policy that protesters were led by "mainly students" who were "frustrated" after three years of the pandemic.