BEIJING—The mayor of a northeastern Chinese city on the North Korean border that has been under lockdown for more than 50 days has apologized for failures in his administration’s work amid widespread—but often disguised—dissatisfaction over the authorities’ heavy-handed approach to handling the pandemic.
Dandong Mayor Hao Jianjun gave no specifics, but said the authorities’ work and basic services had been “unsatisfactory,” for which he offered his apologies, according to a statement issued by city leadership late Monday.
It is highly unusual for a ranking Chinese Communist Party (CCP) official to publicly concede errors, particularly regarding the hardline “zero-COVID” policy that has been repeatedly endorsed by top officials under CCP leader Xi Jinping….