https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-64658729

Crowds of retirees in China have again taken to the streets to protest against cuts to their medical benefits.

They gathered on Wednesday for a second time in Wuhan, where Covid was first detected, and also in the north-eastern city of Dalian.

The second round of protests in seven days puts pressure on President Xi Jinping’s administration just weeks before the annual National People’s Congress, which will usher in a new leadership team.

Protests first took place in Wuhan on 8 February after provincial authorities said they were cutting the level of medical expenses which retirees can claim back from the government.

Social media footage shows the protesters to be largely elderly retirees, who say this comes at a time of soaring healthcare costs.

Although such health insurance matters are handled at a provincial level, protests have spread to different parts of the country in what appears to be a renewed belief in the power of demonstrating in China.

中国大批退休人员再次走上街头抗议削减医疗福利。

他们于13日在首次发现新冠肺炎的武汉和东北部城市大连等地第二次聚集在一起。

七天后的第二轮抗议给习近平主席的政府带来了压力，而新一届全国人民代表大会即将召开。

2月8日，武汉首次发生抗议活动，此前省当局表示，他们正在削减退休人员可以向政府报销的医疗费用。

社交媒体视频显示，抗议者大多是退休老人，他们说，这是在医疗费用飙升的时候发生的。

虽然这些健康保险问题是在省一级处理的，但抗议活动已经蔓延到全国各地，这似乎是对中国示威力量的一种重新认识。