“This three-year [COIVD-zero] policy has massively reduced the authority of the Communist Party. You are now seeing violent clashes between workers who think they are not being paid well and the police. In the past, they would have protested quietly. You are seeing more signs of rebellious action on the part of workers, students and medical interns.” Xi’s likely incentives If Xi’s motivation for giving up on the war against COVID-19 and adopting a more business-friendly tone is the threat of civil unrest, that is something the Chinese government would never admit. Messy exit from pandemic: Chinese hospitals, like this…