User:Althair/sandbox

Government
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a regular press conference that "On social media there are forces with ulterior motives that relate this fire with the local response to COVID-19", and "We believe that with the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party and support of the Chinese people, our fight against COVID-19 will be successful." Regarding the case of BBC News journalist Edward Lawrence being assaulted and briefly detained in Shanghai, he stated that he was aware of the situation, but claimed it was caused by Lawrence's failure to identify himself properly.

International

 * 🇺🇳 United Nations: Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office called on Chinese authorities to respect the right to peaceful protest and that protestors should not be arrested for exercising that right.
 * 🇺🇸 United States: The Biden administration, via National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, voiced support for the protests, and that President Biden was being briefed on the situation.  The U.S. Embassy in Beijing said that Ambassador Nick Burns had raised concerns directly with senior Chinese officials. The embassy encouraged American citizens to keep a 14-day supply of water, food and medication for their household. Numerous Republican politicians criticized the Biden administration's response as "weak" and "pitiful", and of failing to "stand up to the CCP and stand in solidarity with the Chinese people". According to Politico and The New York Times, a more forceful response from the Biden administration would have given the Chinese government more reason to deflect attention away from the demands of the protesters by alleging foreign involvement in the protests.
 * 🇪🇺 European Union: A European Union foreign policy spokesperson said that the EU was following the protests closely without additional comment.
 * 🇬🇧 United Kingdom: In response to the arrest of BBC journalist Edward Lawrence, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described it as "shocking and unacceptable" and that China was moving towards "even greater authoritarianism". British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly called the incident "deeply disturbing" and it was "clear" that the people of China were "deeply unhappy" about the COVID restrictions. Business Secretary Grant Shapps said that there was "absolutely no excuse whatsoever" for journalists covering the protests to be attacked by police.
 * 🇹🇼 Republic of China: The Mainland Affairs Council of Taiwan called on the Chinese government to treat protestors peacefully and rationally and to gradually loosen up COVID restrictions. The Democratic Progressive Party called on the Chinese government to actively listen and respond to the demands of the people.
 * 🇩🇪 Germany: German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier asked Chinese authorities to "respect" the freedom of protesters and that he "understand[s] why people want to voice their impatience and grievance". He said that he hoped the Chinese authorities would respect the protesters' rights to freedom of expression and freedom of demonstration, and that the protests would remain peaceful. German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit suggested that the Chinese government should address its strict COVID lockdown policies by administering Western-made mRNA vaccines, which Germany and Europe had a "very good experience with" and had allowed most countries to ease COVID restrictions.
 * 🇨🇦 Canada: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed support for freedom of speech in China.