SAFETY HARBOR, Fla. — Violent protests rocked China this weekend. Citizens are pushing back against strict COVID policies that in some cases have kept them confined to their homes for weeks at a time. Although they’re protests the likes of which the country hasn’t seen since Tiananmen Square in 1989, Safety Harbor resident Tina Bohn said the situation doesn’t surprise her.

“Now, people are hungry and they’re angry. They can’t pay their bills. They have family to provide for. They cannot do any of this. It’s a tough situation,” said Bohn, a member of the Suncoast Association of Chinese Americans (SACA).

Bohn and her family moved to Florida from Taiwan six years ago. She said she joined SACA because she likes the inclusivity it offers for all Asian Americans.

“Sometimes I joke about it — Chinese and Taiwanese, we were cousins. You know, we’re from the same family, we just decided to have different lifestyles,” said Bohn.

The Communist Party has ruled China for decades. It’s now the only major country still trying to stop COVID transmission through its “zero COVID” policy. It’s included lockdowns that were followed by food shortages, restricted access to medical care and economic struggles.

“We really, really, really cherish every moment we have, the freedom in Taiwan, even here in the U.S.,” said Bohn. “But I also want people to know that the freedom does not come from nothing.”

Bohn said she’d like to see the Chinese government put people first, noting she doesn’t think “zero COVID” is a practical policy in a country of more than a billion people. She said the situation is a reminder not to take freedom for granted.