A voice shouted, “Xi Jinping, step down. Communist Party of China, get out of power.” Among some protesters are sights and sounds rarely seen since the Tiananmen incident in 1989, 33 years ago.
Looking back on the Deng Xiaoping era, such outbursts against the supreme leader and the Communist Party inevitably followed total repression.
Because the Communist Party cannot allow any group to show such direct disobedience.
But there is a big difference between today’s digital China and Ten-Age China.
In the past, there was no social media. And the Chinese government can completely shut down and censor news.
In addition, China at that time did not need to pay much attention to the reaction of the world community.
But China today is China that wants to be part of the world order. and sensitive to interactions with different countries
In the past, China might not care about external noise as long as it could control the situation in the country.
But today news spreads and spreads wide and fast.
Although Chinese authorities have the ability to regulate their own social media content, news, clips, audio and images of internal events are quickly and widely distributed outside of social media.
Chinese people today, despite being regulated in terms of access to internal information, but can also be fully aware of the news in the international arena with technology that state power cannot stop in any case
Still, Xi Jinping would have been surprised by the response of the number of Chinese who had publicly protested. and roared with wrath without fear of being restrained
For the past 10 years, Xi Jinping has ruled the country as supreme leader. He himself and those around him would be confident that most Chinese people would be satisfied with their own status and society as a whole.
Xi Jinping would surely believe that he has created a new Chinese society with continued prosperity. and can stand proud on the international stage like never before
Xi Jinping made outstanding announcements about poverty alleviation
To the extent that at the end of last year he insisted that there were no “poor people” as the World Bank’s definition was left in China.
The next step is to reduce inequality…by issuing “Common Prosperity” (common prosperity) policies so as not to “get rich and spread”.
Therefore, Xi Jinping and his close associates are right to think that the Chinese people are proud that their leaders can build today’s China standing shoulder to shoulder with the United States. in the international arena
Even in the case of the COVID-19 epidemic, the “zero COVID-19” policy was originally a measure of pride for the Chinese government to show that in this way the number of sick and dead people in China from the epidemic is this. This is significantly less than the West.
Xi Jinping used this policy to refer to a more efficient Chinese political system. “Western democracy” with many times more dead and sick than China.
But Xi Jinping apparently did not realize that there was a smoldering current of frustration beneath the calm surface. Because of the use of measures that are so intense that people are dissatisfied with increasing degrees
It erupted when an incident at the Foxconn factory in Zhengzhou was followed by a fire in Urumqi in Xinjiang.
What the villagers claim is caused by the harsh and excessive measures associated with this COVID
If Xi Jinping looked back at the cause of the explosion of anger among the Chinese people today, he would find that Because officials in different counties used strict measures Those regardless of the problems that have to the villagers face them.
And do not differentiate between the seriousness of the problem in each area … but in case, if the number of infected people from their own community increases, they will be punished.
When the government system makes the officials fear the superiors more than listening to the people’s troubles The long standing patience of the villagers must have flowed out.
and when the bomb exploded, it was hard to stop
because of the emotions and feelings of the Chinese people Especially the younger generation that wants more freedom of expression than before has been quietly forming for a while.
Just waiting for the moment to reveal itself.
Therefore, the birth of the “A4 Revolution” has a wider meaning than just an expression of people who are uncomfortable with the COVID measures.
If it includes the frustration of the long-suppressed restrictions on expressing opinions
Here Xi Jinping would be aware and analyze the situation to determine the course of his administration.
Especially when entering the 3rd semester of being the number 1 in the country.
Interestingly, Xi Jinping told an EU delegation visiting Beijing last week that the recent protests were “destabilizing”. This in China echoes “Embarrassment and complaints” on the management of COVID
He also added that the pandemic has reached a less serious stage.
to pave the way for various measures to be relaxed
The goal will likely not be COVID-19, but rather a cooling of the protests far beyond what Chinese leaders had anticipated.
Therefore, this period is a very important point for Xi Jinping, and the way to manage disagreement among the Chinese people has begun to demand transparency and good governance in the country’s administration.
Leadership in the turbulent era of Xi Jinping therefore faces serious challenges.
