Shanghai/Beijing: As resentment over the strict COVID-19 regulations boiled over three years into the pandemic, people in Guangzhou, China's southern manufacturing hub, clashed with white hazmat-suited riot police on Tuesday night, as seen in videos posted to social media.
The clashes marked an escalation from protests in the commercial hub of Shanghai, capital Beijing and other cities over the weekend in mainland China's biggest wave of civil disobedience since President Xi Jinping took power a decade ago.
In one video circulating on Twitter, dozens of riot police in all-white pandemic gear are seen advancing in formation over what appears to be torn-down lockdown barriers.
One video shows people throwing hard objects at the police, while another shows a tear gas canister landing in the middle of a small crowd on a narrow street.
Police are later seen escorting a row of people in handcuffs to an unknown location.
Social media posts say the clashes were caused by a dispute over lockdown curbs. Guangzhou is a sprawling port city north of Hong Kong in Guangdong province where COVID cases are being quarantined.
The move broke with the usual practice under China's zero-COVID policy. In Zhengzhou, the site of an Apple factory, shops and restaurants reopened but high-risk buildings remained in lockdown.
Authorities have also begun to seek out those who have posted videos of protests against the Chinese leader. One person who posted a video of people calling for Xi's resignation was taken away by police.
In a statement that did not refer to the protests, the Communist Party's top body in charge of law enforcement agencies said late on Tuesday that China will resolutely crack down on "the infiltration and sabotage activities of hostile forces".
The Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission also said "illegal and criminal acts that disrupt social order" would not be tolerated.
China's foreign ministry has said rights and freedoms must be exercised within the framework of the law.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Tuesday that protesters in China should not be physically harmed or intimidated.
While infections and death numbers are low by global standards, COVID has spread despite China largely isolating itself from the world and demanding significant sacrifices from its population to comply with frequent testing and prolonged isolation.
The lockdowns have exacerbated one of the sharpest slowdowns in growth China has suffered in decades, disrupting global supply chains and roiling financial markets.
The head of the International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva flagged a possible downgrade in the fund's economic growth forecasts for China.