but still asks to give “Freedom of expression” includes “freedom of information” and “right of state” and “transparency”.
This is crossing the line of epidemic control to political freedom that the Communist Party of China cannot withdraw.
Because the existence of the party lies in its ability to control and direct the political activity of society.
The calls for political freedom by the younger generation who joined the protests may be a far cry from the calls for democracy by Chinese students at the event. Tiananmen Square was heavily suppressed on June 4, 1989.
But it seems that when we see and hear these calls in many places, China’s major cities in recent days It is also a reflection of the past 33 years ago.
The only difference is that today’s new generation has summed up the lessons of 1989 and learned to adapt to the current situation.
For example, civil disobedience protests by publicly displaying a blank sheet of paper to claim they have done nothing illegal.
Or let’s sing China’s national and patriotic songs together… to avoid the authorities claiming that this is a move that undermines national security.
A student shouted in the middle of the protest
“Let’s sing the national anthem, it’s not illegal. The meeting of the Communist Party also began with the national anthem”.
There are three complaints made by Tsinghua University students to the authorities that are not being addressed. Political freedom and democracy in a broader picture
But it is mainly limited to protests against the COVID measures.
That is, one, let the arrested protesters be released unconditionally, acknowledging the “legitimacy” of this protest as done rightfully for legitimacy.
Second… declare in writing that these protesters will not be held liable in all respects. And there won’t be a “check account” later on.
and three… that central and local governments pass laws to lift overly stringent measures to control the spread of COVID-19. By promulgating a law and passing the People’s Congress, which will be held in March next year.
It’s all in this statement. Students insist that this must be done in writing.
why they no longer believe verbal promises…because there have been examples in the past where promises made by government officials to solve immediate problems were not really sincere and were not taken seriously in any way
The key point is Local authorities must strictly implement COVID measures. Refusing to be lenient according to the situation in each area for fear of being punished by the central government
Government officials are more afraid of their bosses in Beijing than of distressed citizens.
Everyone wants to keep their chair. Because their destiny is not the people of the community. Rather, he was the head of his line of work in the capital.
It is the source of the same rules for each locality, even if the situation in each community is very different.
The big question today is whether Xi Jinping will take the same approach as Deng Xiaoping, who sent tanks and riot squads to suppress protesters.
If you choose between “solid wood” and “soft wood”, I believe Xi Jinping is more likely to use solid wood.
Why any gesture of backtracking or compromise with the protesters can be interpreted as a “weak leader”
While in the last 10 years Xi Jinping has tried to almost completely consolidate his power over himself.
He wanted to portray the image of being “Strong leaders people can count on”
instead of “a leader who is liked by the people and is ready to share power with the voice of the master of the country”.
But this is the difficulty for Xi Jinping.
Because he would realize that this time the new generation coming out to protest is something he never expected to happen.
Because over time, Xi Jinping has expressed awareness that he has led the country to advance in technology which has opened up opportunities for a new generation of young people to build thriving careers.
from the speeches of past Chinese leaders This leads us to believe that they are confident that China’s younger generation is not like Western youth…so much so that Chinese youth nowadays are proud to be Chinese. and not trust “freedom of expression” or “democracy” like the West, but how?
But the expressions of protesters in this round of COVID have not been what Chinese leaders expected.
Because appealing for personal political freedom instead of emphasizing “The security of Chinese society” without challenging the powers of the state and the party is something beyond the purview of the Communist Party of China.
It is particularly interesting that when Xi Jinping, who wants to highlight “A new era of China that differs from the West” is facing “Freedom of expression” demands to stand at the “crossroads” that he must choose to walk
The leader’s decision on where to travel will also significantly indicate China’s direction in the future.
