After months of secrecy, the Chinese Communist Party Politburo on Tuesday last week finally revealed that its quinquennial 20th National Congress would be held on Oct. 16. That such an important event in China’s political calendar is kept under wraps until just over two weeks before it is to take place illustrates the highly brittle nature of the regime: The more the party keeps outsiders in the dark, the more secure it feels.
The specter of an internal rebellion is never far from the minds of China’s leaders, who fear internal challenges to their power far more than they do external enemies. This is borne out by its allocation of resources. Like the former Soviet Union and East Germany before it, the party is now spending more on internal security than on its military. Although history shows that this is unsustainable over the long term, in the short-to-medium term Taiwan faces an existential threat from a regime that sits atop an increasingly restless population.
Despite months of speculation that a rival faction led by former Chinese president Jiang Zemin (江澤民) might toss a wrench into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) reappointment machine, having stamped his authority over the military and security apparatus, there is no indication that Xi will be prevented from extending his “mandate from hell” for another five years — although in reality, like all dictators, surrounded by enemies thirsting for revenge, Xi will have to remain on the throne until he is driven out of the Zhongnanhai leadership compound in a hearse.
While the Chinese state is always on edge during the lead up to a national congress, when it shuts down large swathes of the capital, mobilizes military units and polices speech with even more zeal than usual, this time there are palpable signs that the party is particularly on edge. Beijing has sent out the order to local governments: No major outbreak of COVID-19 before the congress and no social unrest. Local governments across China have responded with knee-jerk lockdowns, further damaging an economy already battered by three years of stop-start shutdowns and reopenings. Since Aug. 20, at least 74 Chinese cities with a combined population of 313 million have undergone lockdowns, a CNN report published on Monday showed.
Economically illiterate and a party ideologue through and through, Xi is clearly determined that nary a speck of dust will be allowed to tarnish his coronation as lifelong emperor. Suppression of the merest bat squeak of dissent online is already in full swing. A 137-character poem, titled Waiting for the Wind to Arrive (等風來) by poet Hu Minzhi (胡閔之), which uses the random nature of wind as a metaphor to skewer the absurdity of the party’s capricious rule, went viral after it was published at the end of last month. It has now been comprehensively scrubbed from the Chinese cybersphere. Meanwhile, a 3,000-character puff piece on Xi’s leadership is being promoted by Xinhua news agency.
There is speculation that Xi might reduce the number of Politburo Standing Committee members from seven to five to further centralize his power. If, as many are predicting, China suffers a major economic recession — or even depression — Xi might be tempted to switch strategy on Taiwan and risk bringing forward a timetable for a military invasion to divert the attention of a restive populace. If Xi’s coronation goes as planned, a window of danger would open for Taiwan that would not shut until Xi has shuffled off this mortal coil.
I came to Taiwan to pursue my degree thinking that Taiwanese are “friendly,” but I was welcomed by Taiwanese classmates laughing at my friend’s name, Maria (瑪莉亞). At the time, I could not understand why they were mocking the name of Jesus’ mother. Later, I learned that “Maria” had become a stereotype — a shorthand for Filipino migrant workers. That was because many Filipino women in Taiwan, especially those who became house helpers, happen to have that name. With the rapidly increasing number of foreigners coming to Taiwan to work or study, more Taiwanese are interacting, socializing and forming relationships with
Earlier signs suggest that US President Donald Trump’s policy on Taiwan is set to move in a more resolute direction, as his administration begins to take a tougher approach toward America’s main challenger at the global level, China. Despite its deepening economic woes, China continues to flex its muscles, including conducting provocative military drills off Taiwan, Australia and Vietnam recently. A recent Trump-signed memorandum on America’s investment policy was more about the China threat than about anything else. Singling out the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as a foreign adversary directing investments in American companies to obtain cutting-edge technologies, it said
The recent termination of Tibetan-language broadcasts by Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) is a significant setback for Tibetans both in Tibet and across the global diaspora. The broadcasts have long served as a vital lifeline, providing uncensored news, cultural preservation and a sense of connection for a community often isolated by geopolitical realities. For Tibetans living under Chinese rule, access to independent information is severely restricted. The Chinese government tightly controls media and censors content that challenges its narrative. VOA and RFA broadcasts have been among the few sources of uncensored news available to Tibetans, offering insights
Chinese social media influencer “Yaya in Taiwan” (亞亞在台灣), whose real name is Liu Zhenya (劉振亞), made statements advocating for “reunifying Taiwan [with China] through military force.” After verifying that Liu did indeed make such statements, the National Immigration Agency revoked her dependency-based residency permit. She must now either leave the country voluntarily or be deported. Operating your own page and becoming an influencer require a certain amount of support and user traffic. You must successfully gain approval for your views and attract an audience. Although Liu must leave the country, I cannot help but wonder how many more “Yayas” are still
RSS