Despite public bullishness, overflowing hospitals across the country suggest its leader may have made a huge miscalculation
![China’s President Xi battles to save face as Covid U-turn weakens his grip on power](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/63af3e4fdb1434cf6b272cda0f0f1c08646602e1/0_297_6000_3600/master/6000.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdG8tZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=d0cee375fb4e317576aceb3b9715cd8f)
China’s leader
Xi Jinping told his country it stands on “the right side of history” in a new year address on Saturday, but experts have warned that the president starts 2023 diminished by his chaotic U-turn on Covid strategy.
He may struggle to deflect blame for the human and economic costs of zero-Covid’s failure, and control the national narrative, even if public signs of dissent are crushed.