Chinese woman forced to kneel with hands tied as friend lies beside her after clash with brutal Covid lockdown enforcers

HARROWING footage shows a Chinese woman kneeling on the ground with her hands tied and her friend laying beside her after a clash with Beijing's brutal Covid lockdown enforcers.

The women were violently man-handled because one of them failed to wear a mask in Luntou Village, Guangzhou province, China.

A clip shows them arguing with Covid officials at a check-point before being tackled to the ground.

Moments after, a plain-clothed official approaches one of the women and knees her in the stomach - before throwing her to the ground as stewards rush in.

Her pal tries to push them away before she's attacked and restrained by Covid staff.

Moments later, the women are shown tied up with one lying on the ground and other on her knees.

Xiao Yangkou, one of the suspected female victims, said on Weibo: "We were not tied because of masks, but to prevent us from calling 110 [police]. My partner and I called 110 successively."

She said officials took off their blue coats to prevent them from being recognised.

Local Communist Party official Hi Xijin blasted the women.

He said: "Two women from Haizhu District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province did not abide by the regulations of the epidemic prevention and control area, and attempted to forcibly enter and exit the epidemic prevention and control checkpoint in Luntou Village, Haizhu District.

"As a result, they were restrained and controlled by the staff and the masses, and they were tied behind their backs in front of the public."

It comes as rioters led mass protests over Beijing's "Zero Covid" lockdowns.

Extraordinary footage was taken in the city of Guangzhou, where residents have been seen battling with hazmat-clad lockdown enforcers.

Footage shows protesters tearing down barriers and shouting “no more testing” after an explosion of anger over the draconian measures in the southern city.

Tensions had been building in Guangzhou’s Haizhu District, which is home to many poorer itinerant labourers, according to a BBC report.

They have complained of not being paid if they can't work and of food shortages - as well as skyrocketing prices, due to the harsh lockdown.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping - who was recently made himself "Emperor for Life" - is continuing to roll out what has been dubbed as the "world's strictest lockdown".

China is the only major economy sticking to a zero-Covid strategy to stamp out virus clusters as they emerge.

Under the policy, thousands of residents can be locked down over just one positive case in their housing complex.

Cops wearing hazmat suits and wielding machine guns have been brutally enforcing the rules.

But the swift and harsh lockdowns have battered the economy with some predicting the effects even leading to the downfall of Xi.

Inadequate conditions, food shortages and delayed emergency medical care have chipped away at public confidence in the policy.

As the rest of the world returns to normal, China has placed 280 million people in Covid lockdown this year, turning the country into a “huge prison” and damaging the economy.

Botched attempts to produce its own vaccine and unwillingness to swallow its pride and import them, leaves draconian lockdowns as the only way to tackle Covid.

The lockdown has left desperate Chinese fighting to get their hands on food as drones buzz around making sure they comply with the rules.