Understand the rare and daring protest in China ahead of party congress

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A very rare protest in Beijing made headlines about the country in the world press. A few days before the start of the Chinese Communist Party’s National Congress — a meeting that only takes place every five years and is likely to reinstate Xi Jinping for a third term — a banner critical of the Chinese leader’s policies appeared hanging from an overpass in Haidian, a of the largest districts of the capital.

• The images that circulated on the internet showed two tracks. One read: “Without Covid testing, we want to eat. Without restrictions, we want freedom. Without lies, we want dignity. Without Cultural Revolution, we want reform. Without leaders, we want votes. Not being slaves, we can be citizens”;
• The second called on the Chinese to “strike at school and work” and remove “the dictator and national traitor Xi Jinping.”

Something was burning above the bands, but authorities have not confirmed what it was. The protest was quickly stopped and the material removed by the police. There is still no information about the authorship of the act, although Haidian is known in the city for hosting several elite universities such as Tsinghua and Peking University (the latter with a history of anti-government demonstrations).

why it matters: The incident drew attention for the boldness of the protester. It is very rare that any protest in China mentions Xi Jinping by name and even vague mentions of him on the internet are replaced by anagrams or characters with similar phonetics, avoiding censorship. The timing of the protest is also remarkable: authorities are on high alert for disturbances that impede or tarnish Xi’s reappointment to power.

what also matters

The Covid zero policy must continue after Xi Jinping is reappointed for a third term as China’s leader, an article in the People’s Daily indicated on Monday (10).

The newspaper, managed by the Communist Party and seen as the journal to confirm public policies in China, published two texts stating that the virus suppression policy is “sustainable” and must remain.

“On a journey of 160 kilometers, people cannot stop at 150 kilometers and call it success,” reads one of the texts.

“Some countries choose not to bother, adopting the strategy of ‘living with Covid’. This does not mean unwillingness to control the pandemic: it means that they cannot”, concludes the second article, demanding “unshakable adherence to the policy of Covid zero, normalizing disease control and prevention measures without losing sight of the fundamental objective, which is to avoid large-scale outbreaks.”

The harbinger is a cold shower for analysts who had hoped for a gradual reopening of borders after the National Congress of the Communist Party. Previous forecasts had indicated relaxation of coronavirus control policies once Xi secured the country’s leadership.

In preparation for the National Congress, the Political Bureau of the CCP Central Committee confirmed punishments to four officials accused of participating in corruption schemes.

• Former Chinese justice minister and arrested in September on charges of taking bribes, Fu Zhenghua was the first to lose his titles. Three months ago, he pleaded guilty to accepting ¥117 million in cash and gifts for personal use. Fu even received a death sentence, later commuted by a court to life imprisonment.
• Also expelled for accepting bribes were former executive vice president of the Supreme People’s Court of China Shen Deyong and former vice secretary of Jiangsu Provincial Committee Zhang Jinghua.

Finally, the case that drew the most attention was that of the former head of the political advisory body of Shanxi Province, Li Jia. He is accused of manipulating votes in party elections, violating anti-corruption campaign rules, “lacking party principles” and accepting valuable gifts from businessmen.

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection found, however, that Li committed the crimes before ascending to the central body in 2012. He lost his party titles and was demoted from ministerial level to deputy minister in the government system, a punishment considered light. Behind the scenes, it is speculated that his connection with Hu Chunhua – vice premier and one of the favorites for the post of prime minister opened with the retirement of Li Keqiang – justifies the lenient sentence.

Keep an eye

The political elite of the Communist Party gathered on Wednesday for the seventh and final plenary session of this legislature in the Central Committee. The meeting, chaired by Xi Jinping, summarized the party’s main “achievements” over the past five years and set the stage for the nominations to be announced starting Sunday.

On the list of party achievements recognized by Wang Huning, the party’s main ideologue, are the “restoration of order” in Hong Kong, the management of the crisis in Ukraine and the Chinese response to separatist efforts in Taiwan.

why it matters: The meeting was mostly ceremonial and spent much of the time praising Xi Jinping’s achievements, rather than pointing out his likely permanence in the country’s leadership or possible constitutional amendments to be voted on by new congressmen.

What stands out, however, are the main points highlighted as Xi’s achievements, including the way he dealt with the Ukrainian issue. It is a sign that China should not change course in the short term and, while it does not openly support Russia, it will not openly oppose the conflict either.

to go deep

• The China Project describes how the weather is in Beijing and the preparations for the National Congress, also explaining the main rites involving the meeting. (porous paywall in english)
• Reuters also explains on its YouTube channel what to watch out for during the event to understand subtle signs of Chinese politics. (free, in english)
• Harvard University will hold a roundtable discussion on November 8 on the transformations in China after the National Congress of the Communist Party. The event will be a hybrid and anyone who wants to watch it online must register here. (free, in english)