Hundreds of people yesterday staged protests in the Chinese cities of Wuhan and Dalian against reforms to the Chinese public health insurance system, according to witnesses and images on social media.
The latest outpouring of frustration was sparked by reforms to the health insurance system that have reduced allowances paid monthly to retirees.
A crowd rallied in front of a park in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in the second such gathering in a week.
Videos posted on social media showed security guards by the entrance to Zhongshan Park forming a human chain to prevent more demonstrators from entering.
Four witnesses confirmed that the rally took place and Agence France-Presse (AFP) geolocated footage online to areas around the park.
In the northeastern city of Dalian, a witness told reporters that hundreds also took to the streets against the health insurance reforms.
Elderly demonstrators began gathering at about 9am yesterday, but were gone by the afternoon, the witness said.
“Give me back my medical insurance money,” they can be heard chanting in one video, which AFP geolocated to the city’s Renmin Square, where a number of local government buildings are.
In another video, a large column of police are seen guarding city government buildings.
Changes to the health insurance system prompted a separate rally by hundreds of retirees in front of Wuhan’s city hall on Wednesday last week.
Pictures shared on social media appeared to show local officials meeting with some of those demonstrators for negotiations.
The reforms, gradually introduced since 2021, come as local government finances are strained following years of strict and costly “zero COVID-19” policies.
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