When social unrest breaks out in China, Communist Chinese authorities immediately suppress it. All information or public acts of solidarity are likewise silenced since these might be seen as a sure sign that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is losing control.
Such suppression is becoming increasingly difficult. In 2024, a wave of homicides, violence and assaults is testing Beijing’s sordid reputation for keeping its victims in line.
It has also sparked widespread reflection online about the deteriorating financial and social conditions. Among the problems the CCP now faces are capital flight, increasing emigration, savage human rights violations, mounting unemployment and outrage over exorbitant housing and childcare costs.
Officials are alarmed by a youth culture that glorifies the minimalism of just getting by and rejects the relentless hustle that leads them nowhere.
These complaints indicate a society filled with anger and grudges undermining the ruling socialist ideology.
Indeed, Communist China is witnessing violent acts rarely seen.
For example, chaos erupted outside a primary school in Changde, Hunan province, recently when one vehicle plowed into a group of students and parents. Fortunately, no one died, but it marked a gruesome trend. Only days earlier, in Zhuhai, a car drove onto a sports field full of people, killing 35 people and injuring many others.
In yet another incident, eight people were killed, with an additional 17 injured in a knife fight in Yixing. These events, and many others, suggest a simmering crisis threatening the imaginary cohesive and stable society the CCP portrays.
Chinese media coverage of these incidents remains brief, if at all. It is usually limited to mirroring official CCP statements or providing screenshots of police communications. Private videos of such incidents are rapidly removed from social platforms.
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Recently, Communist Party censors have issued directives to the government-run media, ensuring that any accounts of these attacks align strictly with police statements. This controlled narrative underscores a persistent detachment from reality, pointing to the shortcomings of socialism that prioritizes propaganda over truth.
Authorities have avoided revealing details about the perpetrators, such as their financial status, mental state or marital situation, thus preventing speculation of their motives. The goal is to control the narrative rather than address the root causes found in socialist ideology.
After a car crash attack in Zhuhai, authorities remained on high alert, vigilantly monitoring the scene. Police removed flowers, wreaths and candles placed by locals outside the stadium as tributes to victims. International reporters were subject to this suffocating control. News teams were barred from filming, and one correspondent was detained and compelled to delete his work.
Social media has become a platform for citizens to voice dissatisfaction with the government’s dishonest response to recent events, particularly those involving mental health, financial and social issues. While posts are typically deleted within hours, the increasing commentary indicates a willingness to criticize the government and signals government fears of reactions.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, incidents involving attacks on civilians, schoolchildren and foreigners have intensified.
Not wanting to admit any responsibility, the CCP claims there are five causes of these attacks: financial woes, personal problems, familial struggles, mental health issues and physical health challenges.
The CCP tactic is to blame everyone else for the systemic problems that bring down all society. By concealing violent events and pretending that everything is under control, the CCP hides its weaknesses. In typical socialist fashion, its solution is to call for more socialism by intensifying public security and surveillance measures.
However, China’s current fiscal challenges amplify the burden on already strained public finances, potentially aggravating public discontent. Like the financial crisis China now faces, things could spiral out of control.
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