Paper short abstract:

This paper looks into China’s biopolitical control of contagion under its zero-Covid mandate. Excessive measures of testing and disinfecting reinforce a sense of fear against a “toxic outside world” that’s virus-infested, thereby normalising and reproducing a defence discourse.

Paper long abstract:

In August 2022, stories and videos of freshly caught seafood being swabbed for Covid-19 went viral on Chinese social media and even made international news. Not only live fish and crabs are being PCR-tested and quarantined, from domesticated animals and house pets to frozen foods and international parcels, an all-round environmental testing (huanjing jiance) regime has been enforced with China’s staunch commitment to zero-Covid management. Rigid, and sometimes coercive, “xiaosha” (disinfectant) procedures take place when local outbreaks are identified, where hazmat-suited personnel come in troops and spray high-strength disinfectant on streets, in buildings, and in people’s homes. In the name of controlling contagion and containing transmission, China’s health authorities regard both the natural and densely populated urban environments as dangerous, contaminated by “imported virus”. This paper offers a preliminary examination on China’s biopolitical control of contagion under its zero-Covid mandate. Excessive measures of testing and disinfecting reinforce a sense of fear against a “toxic outside world” that’s virus-infested, thereby normalising and reproducing a defence discourse. Ironically, this defensive measure will likely leave behind heavy chemicals and extraordinary amounts of waste generated from used testing kits and protective gears, worsening a toxic environment for many with a possible future of unwellness.