The People’s Republic of China has announced the loosening of their zero-Covid policy, which saw strict restrictions being in place over the last three years. This comes in response to protests over the weekend which proved to be the largest demonstration of mass discontent since Tiananmen Square in 1989. However, the Chinese authorities’ response showed the darker side of living in a police state. The highest response to emergency censorship was instigated, which included tracking individuals via their phone networks and a crackdown on VPNs and other methods used to bypass online censorship.
In a high-level, closed-door meeting with European Council President, Charles Michel, along with other top-level EU officials, Xi Jinping acknowledged the nationwide protests that took place in cities across the country stating that they were driven by “frustrated” students who were tired of the extended lockdown. A fire that erupted in Urumqi became a catalyst for the protests, as the Covid-19 lockdown hampered rescue services’ efforts to enter the building along with residents trying to flee. Ten people died in the incident, and it became the focal point for the widespread anger demonstrating the human cost of the Chinese zero-Covid policy. However, government authorities responded with extensive clampdowns on civil rights.

Signs of organized protests in China are rare, and their censorship apparatus had tracked and shut down posts on social media depicting the protests. Nonetheless, over the last week, some videos have emerged. The New York Times outlined that the automated software and countless censors were likely overwhelmed by the sheer number of posts that emerged. Xiao Qiang, a researcher on internet freedom at the University of California, Berkeley, explained how hundreds of videos being posted from different angles are much harder for an algorithm to screen than a single viral video. Algorithms designed to flag content are also failing to catch videos with filters and videos of videos. Furthermore, more people were bypassing Chinese firewalls and gaining access to sites such as Twitter and Instagram, which are outside of China’s reach. Despite this progress, citizen’s exercising their right to freedom of expression are still paying the price. Protesters had their phones checked by police for VPNs, and in some cases had them confiscated, CNN reported. On top of this, protesters claim that Chinese authorities are using cell phone data to track protesters, with some protesters receiving phone calls the following day inquiring about their participation. The approach by Chinese officials attempting to deny people the right to freedom of expression and protest is not new; the state has relied on a combination of arrests, censorship, and surveillance in order to control people since Xi Jinping came to power.

The international community has done relatively little to put pressure on China regarding its systematic oppression of human rights. Western states have failed to engage on the issue, turning their attention elsewhere. Virginie Battu-Henriksson, an EU foreign affairs spokesperson, acknowledged this when responding to Chinese censorship of a letter co-authored by 27 European Union ambassadors that contained a reference to the origins of the coronavirus. She stated that “China has state-controlled media. There is censorship, that’s a fact,” but that by agreeing to the letter’s censored publication, the EU could then engage China on other key issues, such as climate change, human rights and the pandemic response. Chinese censorship is not a priority for the rest of the world, and as the People’s Republic has grown in economic power, it has become more and more difficult to force a change. There will never be a change without full support and backing from other economic and global powers such as the EU, BRICS and United States.

Closer to home, there is also unlikely to be a change in China’s policies while Xi Jinping remains in charge. Protesters took the opportunity to call for the removal of the Chinese leader, who was just elected for a historic third term. This has been somewhat hidden behind mourning the death of Jiang Zemin, who passed away on 30 November. He led China following the 1989 protests and saw China through enormous economic growth. Although the majority of those criticizing Xi Jinping by comparing him to the previous leader either did not live through Jiang’s reign or at the very least were not old enough to know what it was truly like, it is clear that his more liberal economic policies and openness to political cooperation with countries such as the US are idolized in China. The Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have shattered the implicit understanding between the Communist Party and the people of China – stability and prosperity in exchange for a high degree of social control. People want change, and it is much harder for Chinese authorities to suppress these aspirations when they gather in person rather than online. The change will never happen in China as long as Xi Jinping continues his reign in the same manner. However, if the world can come together to put international pressure on China and support the Chinese citizens in organizing themselves into mass demonstrations of discontent then the extreme censorship can be brought to an end. We know this is possible, as the most recent protests have brought about real change with China already loosening Covid-19 restrictions across the country in response to the widespread discontent.

Countries in the West are more likely to hold less economically developed countries to high human rights standards, with trade and international aid often being used as tools in order to force compliance with EU standards. It is simply that China is perceived to be too powerful, and other economic powers are therefore choosing their battles. Censorship should be one of those battles. People should be allowed to promote protests and express discontent with the ruling party without fear of persecution. Therefore, the international community needs to band together against this form of oppression and support individuals’ right to protest. Imposing targeted sanctions on the Chinese elite until censorship and police surveillance have been reduced is a much-needed next step in protecting human rights in China. Furthermore, the creation of a UN body to monitor and safeguard peaceful protests in China would ensure the right to freedom of expression. Such designated areas should also allow for the use of VPNs to promote such demonstrations online on sites that are otherwise banned in China.

The people of China need to be heard, supported, and understood. Freedom of expression and an end to censorship and prohibition of protests are essential in combatting the police state that currently exists. However, this will not be possible without support from the international community, which ought to force the Chinese elite to listen to their people.