Economic and political stability are Beijing’s priorities in the lead-up to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 20th National Congress on Oct. 16, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said.
The CCP would be focusing on touting the “significant advantages of socialism with Chinese characteristics,” and major economic and social development achievements, the report said, adding that all official propaganda apparatuses and social media platforms, as well as music, television and film productions, would therefore be “telling good stories about China,” “spreading positive energy” and doing service to “the Chinese dream that reinvigorates the Zhonghua minzu (中華民族, Chinese ethnic group).”
The CCP’s other major goal prior to the congress is “stability,” and anything that is incompatible with the government’s positive image would be “ruthlessly repressed,” the MAC report said.
Photo: AFP
Disease control measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic were the biggest source of instability this year, as the Chinese government imposed strict lockdowns that affected businesses and damaged economic growth, it said.
The CCP imposed tough “zero COVID” measures in cities including Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing, which made reaching this year’s GDP growth target of about 5.5 percent very difficult, the report said, adding that before the pandemic, private companies were already suffering due to a US-China trade dispute.
Beijing reserving the most popular positions in government agencies and state-run enterprises for CCP and Communist Youth League members only made the issue worse, it added.
Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times
As a result, a trend of “lying flat” — a concept involving inaction — emerged among young people born after 1990, it said.
These young people would rather “lie flat” than challenge social institutions, and many become “little pinks” — a term used to describe young, jingoistic Chinese nationalists on the Web — celebrating China’s achievements, attacking international businesses that support Taiwan’s independence and boycotting works or people who are suspected of insulting China, the report said.
Meanwhile, the MAC cited a report published in July by Citigroup Inc that revealed that many presold houses in China were left unfinished, prompting buyers to stop paying their mortgages and leading to a debt crisis in banks.
The problem pressured Beijing to restore stability by suppressing online discussions related to enterprises going bankrupt, bank capital issues and local governments’ debts, the MAC report said.
Moreover, two incidents in Henan Province’s capital, Zhengzhou, highlighted the flaws in China’s pursuit of stability, it said.
When Zhengzhou residents protested in the streets after four local banks froze cash withdrawals in April, their “health codes,” which are used to access public spaces as a disease prevention tool, turned red, flagging them as infection risks and banning them from going out.
Although Beijing punished five officials after the crackdown sparked a public outcry, the public realized how easily the government can deprive them of their basic needs, the report said.
Another incident happened around the first anniversary of a devastating flood in Henan, it said.
In the aftermath of the flood, a provincial official was removed from office for mishandling the incident and deliberately underreporting the deaths, it said.
Beijing banned all commemorative events this year and removed all images and videos related to the incident online, the report said.
Despite the ban, some people tried to send sunflowers to the scene and protested in creative ways, it said.
The economic slowdown, problems of unemployment and incidents in Zhengzhou might not pose threats to Beijing’s political stability in the short term, but in the long run might shake the confidence of CCP supporters regarding the party’s ability to govern, the report said.
CALL FOR PEACE: Czech President Petr Pavel raised concerns about China’s military maneuvers in the Taiwan Strait and its ‘unfriendly action’ in the South China Sea The leaders of three diplomatic allies — Guatemala, Paraguay and Palau — on Tuesday voiced support for Taiwan’s inclusion in the UN on the first day of the UN General Debate in New York. In his address during the 78th UN General Assembly, Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr urged the UN and all parties involved in cross-strait issues to exercise restraint and seek a peaceful resolution. “The well-being and prosperity of nations and their economies are intrinsically linked to global peace and stability,” he said. He also thanked partner nations such as Taiwan, Australia, Japan and the US for providing assistance
CROSS-STRAIT CONCERNS: At the same US Congress hearing, Mira Resnick said a US government shutdown could affect weapons sales and licenses to allies such as Taiwan A Chinese blockade of Taiwan would be a “monster risk” for Beijing and likely to fail, while a military invasion would be extremely difficult, senior Pentagon officials told the US Congress on Tuesday. Growing worries of a conflict come as China has ramped up military pressure on Taiwan, holding large-scale war games simulating a blockade on the nation, while conducting near-daily warplane incursions and sending Chinese vessels around its waters. US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Ely Ratner said a blockade would be “a monster risk for the PRC [People’s Republic of China].” “It would likely not succeed, and it
‘HARASSMENT’: A record 103 Chinese warplanes were detected in 24 hours, posing severe challenges to security in the Taiwan Strait and the region, the ministry said Taiwan yesterday told China to stop its “destructive unilateral actions” after more than 100 Chinese warplanes and nine navy ships were detected in areas around the nation. The Ministry of National Defense (MND) described the number of warplanes detected in 24 hours as a “recent high,” while Beijing has so far refrained from issuing any official comment on the sorties. “Between the morning of September 17th to 18th, the Ministry of National Defense had detected a total of 103 Chinese aircraft, which was a recent high and has posed severe challenges to the security across the Taiwan Strait and in the region,”
IMPORTS: Fifty-four million imported eggs with a value of more than NT$200 million had to be destroyed, mostly because they expired in storage facilities Minister of Agriculture Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) last night announced that he would resign from his post. Local media on Sunday reported that Chen had resigned due to controversy over the ministry’s egg import program. Later that same evening, the Executive Yuan said that Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) had asked the minister to stay on to resolve the issue. Chen Chi-chung last night made public his decision to resign on Facebook, saying that this time he would not be dissuaded. Chen Chi-chung earlier yesterday apologized for the furor surrounding the egg import program, but added that misinformation had made the problems worse. The government was