Exiled Activist: Reflecting on the COVID-19 Pandemic, the CCP Owes the World an Explanation

In July 2024, Guo Bin, a master’s graduate from Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, during an interview. (Ma Shang’en / Dajiyuan)

[People News] Recently, Guo Bin, a young man born in the 1990s who fled China to the United States this April, gave an interview to Radio Free Asia. Reflecting on the COVID-19 pandemic, he emphasized the need for introspection to prevent greater suffering, stating that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) owes the world an explanation.

According to the report by Radio Free Asia, the COVID-19 outbreak began in Wuhan at the end of 2019 and quickly spread throughout China and the world, infecting over 700 million people—approximately one-tenth of the global population—and causing more than 7 million deaths. Unlike Western nations, the CCP implemented strict lockdowns and a "zero-COVID" policy, which was only lifted two years ago following widespread student-led protests during the "White Paper Movement."

Now 30 years old and holding a master’s degree, Guo Bin spoke in a December 3 interview about how the pandemic left Chinese people with painful yet hazy memories. He noted that these memories are difficult to erase, whether deliberately downplayed by the government or avoided by individuals.

Guo Bin said: "I hope we can remember those stories from back then—ones that seemed absurd, ridiculous, painful, and sorrowful all at once. We should remember the suffering endured by our people and the troubles caused for the world. As a Chinese person, I feel embarrassed. It started in China and was poorly handled, so I think we owe the world an explanation, don’t we? Whether it’s an apology or a form of reflection."

Guo believes that at the very least, the CCP must revisit this period of history and offer an objective assessment. What timely measures were taken? What actions were neglected? For example, silencing whistleblower Li Wenliang, who was sent to the hospital and later tragically passed away. If the government had heeded his warnings and implemented timely lockdowns, could the global spread of the pandemic have been prevented?

Guo Bin, originally from Gongzhuling City, Changchun, Jilin Province, believes that under the Communist Party system, politics takes precedence over the safety of people’s lives and property, and lies have only created more disasters. When the pandemic broke out, state media dismissed early online reports of a SARS-like outbreak as fake news and even enlisted expert Zhong Nanshan to publicly declare that there was no human-to-human transmission. Shortly afterward, strict lockdowns were imposed across the country, with Jilin’s first lockdown lasting a month and a half. Guo explained that provincial and municipal leaders were assigned political tasks, such as being held accountable for outbreaks. Officials faced potential dismissal or resignation and retrospective investigations of up to 20 years. Fearing job loss, officials imposed extremely harsh lockdowns.

Guo recounted how the authorities suddenly announced lockdown measures, leaving his father trapped in a factory while he and his mother were confined at home. The entrance to their alley was sealed off with wooden planks, preventing any movement in or out. Due to a lack of police manpower, unemployed youths, idle individuals, and even local thugs were hired to oversee communities.

He recalled the harsh conditions during the winter lockdown, when for an extended period, they survived on potatoes and cabbage. Elderly individuals living alone, without mobile phones, could not access overpriced food deliveries and starved to death at home. Others with heart disease, kidney disease, or other acute illnesses were unable to receive timely medical treatment, leading to numerous secondary disasters.

Increased Political Pressure During the Pandemic

Jilin faced another month-long lockdown during Chinese New Year in 2021 due to a resurgence of the pandemic. Guo described his experience: "I became depressed, emotionally drained. Every day, the information I received from the outside world resembled Cultural Revolution-style propaganda. Medical nurse teams were shaving their heads to show dedication to the nation, calling it a battle to overcome challenges. Meanwhile, we were stuck in small spaces at home, unable to breathe fresh air, enjoy freedom, or communicate with others. It wasn’t just like being in prison—it was prison."

Guo believes the zero-COVID policy and lockdowns were politically motivated: "Politics came first, not human lives. The system’s so-called advantage lies in preserving the power of one individual or one party, leading to a relentless cover-up of mistakes. No one can point out its flaws."

He remarked that throughout CCP history—during the Cultural Revolution, the Tiananmen Square massacre, the pandemic, and other movements—there has always been a "don’t air dirty laundry" mindset. This tendency to avoid addressing problems has led to recurring historical tragedies. Regarding the pandemic, he noted that the CCP’s rigid system turned avoidable secondary disasters into an absurd and painful chapter of history.

Stability-First Approach to the Virus

Guo believes that the zero-COVID policy highlighted the CCP's strengths in certain areas, but also its systemic rigidity. Subordinates were afraid to speak up or report problems, leaving leaders surrounded by sycophants. This created an information vacuum where the highest levels of leadership received no truthful feedback.

He analyzed that by early 2022, the Party Congress had already decided on the direction for lifting lockdowns, but Xi Jinping's regime prioritized ensuring political stability and avoiding admitting mistakes. As a result, the government first enlisted so-called experts to prepare public opinion for reopening. Only after Xi secured his third term did the government fully lift lockdown measures several months later.

The Absurdity of the CCP's Zero-COVID Lockdowns

Guo Bin highlighted the lies embedded in the pandemic policies, noting that the actual death toll remains a mystery. When restrictions were eased in 2022, many elderly people succumbed to COVID-19, but local village committees and neighborhood offices refused to attribute deaths to the virus, claiming it would make the numbers "look bad." Only by listing causes like heart disease or kidney failure could families obtain death certificates for cremation.

This culture of deceit extended to schools. Guo recounted that while students were required to wear masks to enter campus, leaders and professors were exempt. Many students would buy masks at the school gate to show security guards, only to remove them once inside, where no one enforced the rule. "I made a sarcastic joke back then: their mouths are mouths, but ours are buttocks. It was ridiculous—you knew it was just a performance, a hollow formality."

While pursuing his master’s degree at Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Guo experienced the intense political atmosphere during the pandemic. "Every day we had political tasks, like studying Party history or the 'Study Xi, Strengthen the Nation' app. A third of our curriculum was taken up by themed meetings where we were required to write 'red stories' from our families. The app had to be used for ten minutes daily, with time tracked and reported to the Youth League secretary. Leaders would even visit classrooms to check." Guo protested, saying, "My family doesn’t have any red stories. Writing one would make me a counterrevolutionary. My grandfather was a teacher, part of the 'stinking intellectuals.'"

Guo also shared that teachers dared not speak freely. Even mild criticisms or reflections on current affairs were enough for students to report them to counselors, who would then summon the teachers for "conversations." Campus monitoring was extremely strict.

He recalled an absurd event at Sichuan International Studies University, where a Party history translation competition featured a story about a "red family" from Jiangxi. "Eight brothers joined the military. The eldest joined the Red Army and died, followed by the second, and so on until the seventh. Even Zhou Enlai couldn’t bear it and told the family to keep the youngest at home. But the eighth insisted on joining and also died. It was ridiculous."

The lockdowns also sparked the "White Paper Movement," during which campus print shops were banned from selling A4 paper. "They claimed 'supply chain issues' prevented them from selling A4 sheets. It was absurd."

"The U.S. Is No Paradise, But It Offers Freedom From Fear"

In 2019, while working part-time in China, Guo encountered injustice when his employer withheld wages. After reporting the issue to the police, his boss retaliated by having him detained at a station. There, three or four officers beat him, held him for 12 hours, tied him to a tiger bench, and locked his arms, wrists, and chest to a chair without providing food or water. They interrogated him repeatedly and fabricated charges of "obstructing public service" and assault. When he later sought justice, police threatened him, saying that if it weren’t for the pandemic, they would "deal with" him or even send him to a psychiatric hospital, endangering his family as well.

The pandemic further revealed the harsh truths about Chinese society to Guo. He produced several video commentaries on the CCP’s pandemic policies, which led to threats from authorities and ultimately solidified his decision to escape.

Guo observed that while the U.S. is not a utopia, it operates as a society governed by law, offering democracy, fairness, and freedom. Most importantly, "people are free from fear and will not be arbitrarily intimidated."

He addressed the criticism from pro-CCP "Little Pinks," who label exiles like him as "trash fleeing overseas." In response, exiles call them "parasites" or "maggots" in China. However, Guo empathized with their situation, acknowledging that "Little Pinks have limited access to information and are pressured by their surroundings. If they don’t sing praises for the nation, they face ostracization and immense psychological pressure. Little Pinks are not inherently bad or rotten people. I don’t despise their criticism. I hope they can become less extreme, more rational, and broaden their perspectives."

As someone who can no longer return to China after "润" (a term used by Chinese netizens for escaping abroad), Guo urged Xi Jinping to grant Chinese citizens greater freedom and democracy under the rule of law. "Allow the Chinese people to live with dignity. Take responsibility for advancing democratic progress, rather than going down in history as a notorious authoritarian dictator."