What does the Chinese leadership fear? The Excelsior 02 Sep 2020
What does the Chinese leadership fear? 02 Sep 2020
Last week, a report in the Global Times stated, ‘President Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) and chairman of the CMC (Central Military Commission) conferred the flag on China’s police force, ordering them to be loyal to the party.’ Xi Jinping heads the CCP, the CMC and every major organ of the state. He is currently the undisputed King of China, for life. All national security forces and agencies swear allegiance to him or in some cases the CCP, never the nation, its national flag or Chinese citizens.
This contrasts with the situation within China where the public is suppressed, and dissidents crushed. It leaves the global community wondering if the name of the country is CCP or Xi, instead of China. Any comment against Xi or the CCP, even on social media, and the individual vanishes into the Chinese prison system never to be seen or heard. Political opponents are accused of corruption and other baseless charges, removed from public life only to eradicate the slightest threat to the supreme ruler.
The Chinese Ministry of Education issued guidelines stating that higher education curriculum in China must include Xi’s ideas on ‘China Dream’ and ‘Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era’, as mandatory university courses. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has established a centre called ‘Xi Jinping Research Centre for Diplomatic Thought.’ In China, Xi’s words and thought is now a national priority in every domain.
As per reports, party members are forbidden from expressing opinions or making statements that deviate from Xi’s thoughts. Academicians are expected to teach and project thoughts of Xi and the party, not independent research. Evidently, China has no concept of a nation state, no concept of its populace treated as respectable humans, but only of safeguarding the CCP and its leader for life, Xi Jinping. Such is their desperation that the July 15 issue of the CCP journal, Qiushi (seeking truth), stated in its editorial that it is the bonded duty of every Chinese to ‘protect the core position of General Secretary Xi Jinping.’
The PLA has been purged and those presumed to be remotely belonging to any opponent camp removed. In 2016, Xi assumed the appointment of head of the CMC making the PLA display loyalty to him, ensuring he is protected as the king for life. To safeguard Xi’s power, every major institution in the country has been brought directly under him.
This raises multiple questions. Firstly, are these actions flowing from fear of internal criticism and dissent? In China, every citizen is expected to follow and protect the King, who has power of life and death. Forcing the population to follow the thoughts of one individual is evidently a sign of fear from revolt or criticism as Xi is neither a genius nor an expert in every field. Realistically, there is no difference between Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un of North Korea.
Secondly, by making every national security agency swear allegiance to Xi directly or the CCP, what is being achieved. Most likely, it is sending an internal message that if there is an uprising in desperation, anger or hunger, as is evident now, these agencies would be directed to crush them, as it occurred in Tiananmen. It also implies that the citizen of China is a non-entity, his life has no value as none of the central agencies are answerable to the nation, its flag or its populace but just the CCP and its head.
Thirdly, what does this imply for the common Chinese citizen? Since all agencies, media outlets and social media sites are centrally controlled and strictly monitored, the citizen would be fed what Xi and his CCP desire. Lies and half-truths will be passed to the masses to ensure they believe the current leadership and system is the only way China can survive. This was evident during the pandemic, when large swatches of population were forcibly locked into their apartments with no concern on their welfare. Casualties resulting from the pandemic were hidden and fake figures projected.
The true economic loss from the pandemic and closure of supply chains is kept away from public eye. There have been few videos of protests, entrepreneurs destroying machinery in frustration due to lack of orders and mass reports of sackings, emerging from China, all being denied. The populace lives in fear, aware of the manner the Uyghurs are interned, their race destroyed.
Casualties from current floods and release of water from dams have never been openly shared with the local populace. The true state of food shortages is never announced and those in rural areas would be suffering the maximum, with no means to protest. Casualties of Galwan have been suppressed and Chinese instructed not to mourn death of their relatives in public. Simultaneously, there are posters in Xinjiang, where China has imposed a strict curfew, stating, ‘We’ll break your legs if you dare to go out, we’ll knock out your teeth if you dare to talk back. If you do not try to escape, you can enjoy peace and wonderful times.’
In recent days, the Chinese CCP mouthpiece, The Global Times, has been quoting results of surveys conducted within China on its relations with India. With such strict monitoring, it is most likely that results of surveys are announced without them being conducted. Even if there is some inkling of conduct, it would ask recipients to submit responses that the state desires. Chinese global media outlets are only responsible to project propaganda which the CCP desires.
Xi Jinping is not the first Chairman of the CCP, nor is the current composition of the CCP, the first in China. The way China is currently being structured, and the suppression of its masses displays fears within the CCP of internal dissent and public outcry. To safeguard itself it has placed every security organ under it, purges members on slightest suspicion and treats its citizens as cannon fodder, to be employed and discarded, while the leadership squanders national wealth in procuring properties across the globe. How long before an incident triggers a mass scale uprising.
About the Author
Maj Gen Harsha Kakkar
Retired Major General Indian Army