It is “Global Village Today” which provides important news from various countries of the world.
Host) What news do you have today?
Reporter) Yes. Protests against the government’s strict quarantine policy continued for the second day in major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, the capital of China. There were also voices calling for President Xi Jinping to resign. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has resigned as party chairman after losing local elections.
Host) Global Village Today, this is the first news. Were there big protests all over the new Chinese city over the weekend?
Reporter) Yes. For two days, Saturday and Sunday, large-scale demonstrations were held in various locations, including the capital Beijing, the second city of Shanghai, and the southern metropolis of Guangzhou, to protest the strict quarantine policy of the government by the coronavirus. In the midst of all this, there was also an incident in Shanghai in which a British “BBC” reporter who was covering the scene was taken away by public security and released.
Moderator) Isn’t it very unusual for protests like this to take place in China?
Reporter) Yes. The protest was triggered by a fire in an apartment building in Urumqi, Xinjiang, northwest China. The Urumqi Autonomous Region has been closed since last August due to the corona quarantine. Meanwhile, on the 24th, a fire broke out in an apartment building, killing 10 people and injuring 9 others. Since then, claims that the authorities have not been able to extinguish in time due to the blockade and have increased human casualties have are quickly spread on social media. Beginning in Urumqi the next day (26), the protests quickly spread to various areas such as Shanghai and Beijing. Protests were also held at universities such as Peking University and Tsinghua University.
Moderator) China has been taking super strong corona quarantine measures for almost 3 years, right?
Reporter) Yes. President Xi Jinping has adhered to the so-called “Zero-Covid” policy of not allowing a single corona infection. As a result, extremely high-intensity quarantine measures have been taken in the event of a corona infection, such as sealing off the entire region. While there have been some signs of easing lately, this protest is being interpreted as an outburst of complaints from residents tired of the authorities’ stringent quarantine measures.
Moderator) What was the atmosphere like at the site of the protest?
Journalist) Yes. Videos and photos of the protests have been posted on social media. It was pretty intense. In the Urumqi region, angry citizens destroyed a simple bus stop and clashed with public security, and the tension reached its climax. There were also voices in Shanghai calling for President Xi Jinping to resign. But most say: “We don’t want to wear masks. I don’t want to do a corona test. We want freedom.” Some citizens, however, protested with blank sheets without slogans.
Moderator) What does the white paper mean?
Journalist) It reads in the sense of resisting the censorship of the authorities. This blank protest also appeared when a large-scale protest against the national security law took place in Hong Kong in 2020. Currently, videos and photos uploaded to Chinese social media are being deleted one after another. However, another video was immediately uploaded, conveying the local situation. Chinese authorities have blocked overseas social media such as YouTube and Twitter and tightened censorship, but it has spread through the virtual private network ‘VPN’ bypass access method. At the site of the protest, many people were caught holding mobile phones and video footage.
Host) Were there any physical clashes with the police?
Reporter) Yes. Scenes of verbal abuse, physical fights and beatings erupted as police dispersed protesters everywhere. According to eyewitnesses, many people were arrested by the police. However, it is unknown how many people were arrested. In the midst of all this, there was an incident in Shanghai where Ed Lawrence, a British BBC journalist, was arrested and released by police yesterday (27) while covering the scene of the protest. Videos posted on social media and YouTube show several Chinese police officers dragging a handcuffed journalist in a very brutal way. Nearby citizens shouted for him to be released.
Presenter) Reporter Lawrence has been released now?
Reporter) Yes. ‘BBC’ says Lawrence was held in police custody for several hours and has been released. The “BBC” also complained that while in captivity, police officers beat Lawrence with their hands and feet, saying that Lawrence worked there as a licensed reporter. The “Reuters” news agency also reported yesterday (27) that its reporter was captured by the police and released after 90 minutes.
What is the Chinese government’s position on this?
Reporter) Zhao Lijian, spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a regular briefing today (28) avoided giving specific answers to the protests or requests from protesters. However, the Chinese government’s zero corona policy is badly needed at this point and will continue. He stressed that China will definitely win the fight against the virus with the cooperation and support of the whole people.
Moderator) Did you mention the arrest of a BBC reporter?
Reporter) Yes. Spokesman Zhao said that the reporter did not disclose his identity as a reporter and did not voluntarily present his ID card. He added that foreign journalists must follow Chinese laws and regulations while in China.
Presenter) How is the mood today (28)?
Journalist) Yes. Until this morning there were no signs of new protests in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai. In the case of Shanghai, two people’s public security is strengthening vigilance. Police cars and motorcycles patrol the streets from time to time. ‘Reuters’ reported that some shops and cafes were being asked to close, citing local staff.
Host) Global Village Today, this time it is news from Taiwan. Are there any major changes in Taiwan’s political situation?
Reporter) Yes. In the local elections held on the 25th, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (Democratic Party) suffered a landslide defeat, and the main opposition party, the Nationalist Party, won a landslide victory, and Taiwan’s political world was shaken . President Tsai Ing-wen took responsibility for the election defeat and resigned as party chairman.
Moderator) Let’s take a closer look at the election results?
Reporter) Yes. This election was an election to elect the heads of all 21 prefectures and cities. The candidates proposed by the “Democratic Progressive Party” led by President Tsai obtained only five positions. On the other hand, the main opposition party, the People’s Party, won 13 seats. Independent candidates won two seats and another candidate from the opposition People’s Party won one seat. For the rest, separate elections will be held next month due to the absence of a candidate.
Moderator) Weren’t these local elections considered a provisional assessment of the current government?
Reporter) Yes. Taiwan is facing presidential elections in 2024. Therefore, this election was read as a provisional assessment of President Tsai and the ruling party. However, with this crushing defeat, a difficult road is expected for the Democratic Progressive Party, which aims to recreate the government in next year’s presidential elections. In particular, the fact that this election result is the worst since the founding of the Democratic Progressive Party in 1986 is a painful defeat for the Democratic Progressive Party.
Host) What was the factor that led to the defeat of the Democratic Progressive Party?
Reporter) Major media such as “AP” and “Reuters” cited the experts’ analysis and assessed that the Democratic Progressive Party’s proposed “anti-China security” charter did not work. In this election, the Democratic Progressive Party launched a strategy to appeal to people’s unity against the Chinese threat. However, it is an analysis that failed due to public livelihood issues such as the coronavirus response and the economy. There was also an observation that the psychology of check against the ruling party, usually seen in midterm elections, worked.
Moderator) On the other hand, the National Party did a great job, right?
Journalist) Yes. The National Party, which lost in the last two presidential elections, is estimated to have gained momentum to regain power in the 2024 presidential election with this victory. However, there is also an analysis that it is difficult to predict the upcoming presidential election prematurely. The Kuomintang won a landslide victory in the 2018 local elections, but failed to prevent President Tsai from being re-elected in the presidential election. Meanwhile, in this election, Taiwan’s first president Chiang Kai-shek’s great-grandson candidate Zhang Wan-an won the Taipei mayoral election, attracting attention.
Moderator) Has President Tsai stepped down as chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party?
Reporter) Yes. President Tsai held a press conference on the 26th, the day after the election, and said, “I will humbly accept the results and accept the decision of the Taiwanese people,” stating that the expected results have not been achieved. At the same time, he announced that he would step down as party chairman, taking responsibility for the electoral defeat.
Moderator) Did you resign as party chairman with the upcoming presidential elections in mind?
Journalist) Yes. President Tsai began his second term in power in May 2020. He cannot run for president again because he is bound by a clause that prohibits him from running for a third consecutive term. However, he seems to be a milestone in maintaining the regime by proposing a new face of the party. On this day (26th), President Tsai urged party members to stand up, saying there was no time to be haunted by a sense of defeat. Tsai also rejected calls by some for the party leadership to step down and take responsibility for the defeat.
Moderator) Who is looking for the next party leader?
Reporter) Taiwanese media reported that former Legislative Yuan Chairman Su Jiaquan, Taiwan-Japan Relations Council Chairman and Taoyuan Mayor Jeong Won-chan are under discussion as candidates for the Democratic Progressive Party. On the other hand, there is a story that President Tsai chose Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chimai as the acting chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party. Attention is also focusing on Mayor Chen Chimai’s candidacy in the upcoming presidential elections.
Moderator) Yes. Global Village Today, I will listen to this.
