Xi Jinping suggested it was acceptable for citizens to disagree with China’s government in his first public remarks since protests prompted a U-turn on Beijing’s zero-COVID policies. In his televised New Year’s address, China’s president called for unity as the battle against the pandemic entered a “new phase”. Workers in protective transport the body of a deceased patient at a fever clinic in Beijing, China last week. He praised healthcare workers for “bravely sticking to their posts” and said the government had “adapted” its COVID response while following the science. Beijing lifted swathes of coronavirus restrictions three weeks ago after…