WASHINGTON:US President Joe Biden is observing agitation in China by dissenters requesting a finish to Coronavirus lockdowns and more prominent political opportunities, the White House said Monday, as more modest conventions sprung up in the US.
The remarks were made after hundreds of people took to the streets over the weekend in China's major cities in a rare display of public outrage that has reached international communities of Chinese speakers.
"He is watching this."We are all," John Kirby, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, told reporters on Monday.
According to Kirby, Biden's response to the demands of the demonstrators was not described:The president will not represent protesters worldwide.They are speaking on their own behalf."
However, he emphasized the US's support for the rights of the demonstrators.
Kirby stated, "People should be allowed the right to gather and peacefully protest policies, laws, or dictates that they take issue with."
The State Department said earlier on Monday that the United States thought Beijing's Covid lockdown policies were too strict.
China's stringent coronavirus control measures have been causing discontent for months, pushing many to the brink with constant testing, localized lockdowns, and travel restrictions.
Chinese-speaking communities all over the United States held vigils to remember the lives lost to zero-Covid, with the most recent gatherings sparked by a fatal fire in Urumqi city.
On Monday, around 100 people, many of whom were students, gathered in Washington to demand greater freedoms and remember those who died last week when a fire tore through a building in Urumqi, the capital of northwestern Xinjiang.
Ten people were reportedly killed, and many officials attributed the delay in rescue efforts to Covid lockdowns in the city.
"(Authorities) are getting the affection of Coronavirus, however utilizing unnecessarily severe lockdowns to control China's populace.They didn't care about human lives," a Chinese student named Chen said.
The 21-year-old added, "I came here to grieve."
Zhou, a 22-year-old student, made the following statement in reference to protests taking place across China:I and my friends had no idea how quickly things would change."
Participants chanted slogans such as "Freedom of speech!" while holding white sheets of paper that represented censorship.Freedom to gather!Eliminate the firewall!
Additionally present, members of the Uyghur community vented their outrage at the deaths.
An activist and academic by the name of Tahir Imin stated, "The fire that caused the deaths awakened us."
On the west coast of the United States, a similar gathering was also held.
According to attendees who spoke with AFP, on Sunday night, more than 100 people gathered with candles and fresh flowers outside the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles.
According to graduate student Michael Luo, who is 25 years old, "the atmosphere was mostly filled with anger, sadness, and a little frustration, in solidarity with protesters in mainland China."
He described the event as "leaderless movement" and peaceful.
In Washington, around 25 individuals from the Uyghur people group accumulated Monday outside the State Office too, to approach the US and different majority rules systems to apply further strain on Beijing.
Salih Hudayar, a Uyghur-American activist for Xinjiang independence, stated, "We want them to issue a formal statement condemning the loss of lives, Uyghur lives, and to call for full transparency on the real number of deaths that occurred."
He went on to say of the protests taking place in China, "We're hoping that the international community supports these protesters in demanding accountability from the Chinese government."