In an authoritarian society, truth is often totally suppressed, maliciously distorted or overshadowed by propaganda. A rare glimpse of the true nature of tyranny was accidentally revealed in the Sept. 3 military parade as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was celebrating the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender and the end of World War II.
The event itself was based on a big lie that it was the CCP that was the champion of defending the Chinese people and defeated the Japanese invasion. Perhaps only a very small percentage of Chinese nowadays know that Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) led the Republic of China (ROC) troops, with many young men and women sacrificing their lives in the war against Japan.
The purpose of such an extravagant show of military might goes beyond Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) intent of invading Taiwan militarily and suppressing the Chinese people’s spirit. It also tries to claim superpower status with the firepower to counter the alliance of democratic and free countries.
However, most Chinese workers still earn wages no better than the third world. The Chinese middle class disappeared at the blink of the eye after iron-fisted nationwide lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic, and people’s wealth was lost as the housing bubble burst. Its economic woes might be worse than the 1929 Great Depression in the US. The high unemployment rate does not provide a prosperous future for the young people. So, many lie flat.
It is clear that in spending US$6.48 billion just for the military parade, Xi has no concern for the poverty, starvation or recent disasters of floods and earthquakes that have hit China.
Where there is no future for the youth, there is no future for the country. Furthermore, military power does not warrant a superpower status, as it can hardly match the soft power of the humanity, civility and creativity of a free country. Besides, only rule of law can set a country free.
A casual conversation before the parade between Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin was unintentionally broadcast when Putin suggested that even eternal life could be achieved as a result of innovations in biotechnology, and Xi joyfully responded that organ transplants could easily extend lifespans to 150 years, making his 70-year-old self just a child.
Stories painting a horrifying picture of the rampant organ harvesting “business” in China have been circulating online: A 15-year-old high-school student named Hu Xinyu (胡鑫宇) disappeared from his school campus in 2022, and a eulogy described how a retired high-ranking official had had numerous organ transplants. Many young people have disappeared, further implicating officials.
It is unmistakable that the world’s two most notorious dictators have in common the interest of prolonging their lives. However implicit, it might be at the expense of others by taking their organs, especially the young. Is it not creepy? The boast of extending a human life to 150 years reflects truly the worst inhumanity by all measures.
History recorded that more than 2,000 years ago, the most merciless emperor Qin Shihuang (秦始皇), who built the Great Wall by enslaving his people, sent the alchemist Xu Fu (徐福) with 3,000 girls and 3,000 boys eastward to Japan in search of a mythical elixir for immortality.
The similarities of these dictators demonstrate that their arrogance remains invariably consistent through time.
Ironically, the 21st century witnessed the corrupt government in Nepal overthrown by Gen Z, and an interim prime minister elected through messaging app Discord. Where there is a will, there is a way. People power will ultimately prevail over dictatorship.
James J. Y. Hsu is a retired professor of theoretical physics.
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