A voice shouted, “Xi Jinping, come down. Communist Party of China, get out of power.” Among some protesters are sights and sounds rarely seen after the Tiananmen Incident in 1989, 33 years ago.
Looking back to the Deng Xiaoping era, such outbursts against the supreme leader and the Communist Party were inevitably followed by an all-out crackdown.
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 China in the Deng era.
In the past, there was no social media. And the Chinese government can completely shut down and censor the news.
Moreover, China at that time did not need to pay close 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 worry about external noise as long as it could control the situation in the country.
But today the news has spread and is spreading widely and rapidly.
While Chinese authorities have the ability to regulate their own social media content, news, clips, audio and images of domestic events are spread quickly and widely outside social media.
Today the Chinese, despite being regulated with regards to access to privileged information, but can also get to know the latest news in the international arena with the technology that the state power cannot in any case prevent
However, Xi Jinping was reportedly shocked by the reaction of the number of Chinese who had protested publicly. and he roared in rage without fear of being suppressed
For the past 10 years, Xi Jinping has ruled the country as the supreme leader. He himself and those around him would be confident that most Chinese would be satisfied with their status and with society as a whole.
Xi Jinping would surely believe that he has created a new Chinese society with lasting prosperity. and able to stand proudly on the international stage like never before
Xi Jinping has made outstanding announcements on poverty alleviation
So much so that at the end of last year he insisted that there was no such thing as the “poor” as the World Bank definition remained in China.
The next step is to reduce inequality… announcing “Common Prosperity” policies to avoid “rich and scatter”
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 by standing side by side with the United States. in the international arena
Even in the case of the COVID-19 outbreak, the “COVID-19 zero” 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 due to the epidemic was in this This is significantly lower than in the West.
Xi Jinping used this policy to refer to a more efficient Chinese-style political system. “Western democracy” with many times more dead and sick than China.
But Xi Jinping probably didn’t realize that beneath the seemingly calm surface was a steaming current of frustration. Due to the use of such intense measures that people are dissatisfied with increasing degrees
It erupted when an accident at a Foxconn factory in Zhengzhou was followed by a fire in Urumqi in Xinjiang.
What the villagers say is caused by the severe and excessive measures related to this COVID
If Xi Jinping looked back at the cause of the outburst of anger in the Chinese people today, he would find that Why officials in various counties use harsh measures Those regardless of the problems facing the villagers.
And not distinguishing the severity of the problem in each locality … but out of fear that if the number of infected people in their community increases, they will be punished.
When the government system makes officials fear superiors more than listen to people’s problems The long-standing patience of the villagers must be gushed out.
and when the bomb went off, it was hard to stop
because of the Chinese people’s emotions and feelings Especially the younger generation who want more freedom of expression than before has been quietly forming for a while.
It’s just waiting for the moment to reveal itself.
Therefore, the birth of the “A4 Revolution” has a broader meaning than just an expression of people who are uncomfortable with the COVID measures.
If it includes the frustration of the limitations of expressing opinions that have been suppressed for a long time
It was here that Xi Jinping would be conscious and analyze the situation to determine the course of his administration.
Especially when entering the 3rd semester to be number 1 in the country.
Interestingly, Xi Jinping told an EU delegation visiting Beijing last week that the recent protests have been “unstable”. This in China echoes “Embarrassment and grievances” about COVID control
He also added that The pandemic has reached a less severe stage.
to pave the way for the easing of various measures
The goal is likely not to be COVID-19, but rather to cool the protests far beyond what Chinese leaders anticipated.
Therefore, this period is a very important time for Xi Jinping, and the way to deal with dissent among the Chinese people has started to require transparency and good governance in the country’s administration.
Leadership in Xi Jinping’s turbulent era therefore faces serious challenges.
