BEIJING - (AFP) - Chinese state television has removed close-ups of videos showing fans at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar without masks, after earlier coverage sparked outrage in China, where demonstrations have erupted over harsh restrictions to combat the spread of COVID-19.

China is the last major economy still trying to stamp out the local spread of COVID-19 through sudden lockdowns, long quarantines and large-scale COVID-19 testing campaigns.

During a live broadcast of Sunday's match between Japan and Costa Rica, CCTV Sports replaced close-ups of maskless fans waving flags with shots of players, officials or the stadium, AFP noted.

CCTV Sports broadcast distant shots of the crowd where it was difficult to identify faces, and fewer group shots than live broadcasts of the same match on online platforms including Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.

And tens of millions of people in major cities, including Beijing, Guangzhou and Chongqing, are subject to a kind of general closure, starting from Sunday, in contrast to what is witnessed in the World Cup stadiums in Qatar, which angered many users of social networks in China.

On Tuesday, an open letter asking whether China was "on the same planet" as Qatar circulated on messaging app WeChat before censors removed it.

Hundreds demonstrated in Beijing and Shanghai on Sunday to protest against China's zero Covid policy, in a rare expression of public anger at the country.