China could move away from its zero-Covid strategy “in the near future” and co-exist with the virus, a top Chinese scientist has said in a possible sign that the country's leadership is rethinking its strict approach.

China's strategy against Covid-19 cannot “remain unchanged forever” and “it is the long-term goal of humanity to co-exist with the virus” at tolerable death and illness rates, Zeng Guang wrote in a social media post.

Zeng is the former chief scientist of China's Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and one of the experts behind the country's initial Covid response, according to AFP.

He said Western countries were now showing “commendable courage” in exploring how to live with the virus and that China should “observe and learn” even though there was still “no need to open the country's doors at the peak of the global pandemic”.