In a directive reportedly distributed to local party committees, China’s top propaganda officials have issued new restrictions banning discussion of seven topics deemed to be “dangerous Western influences.”
The report, titled “The Current Situation of the Ideological Front,” urges cadres to stop universities and media organizations from talking about a wide range of political ideas. The banned topics cover a variety of subjects that have been openly discussed in Chinese universities and publications for years.
If implemented, the bans would deeply call into question the sincerity of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s self-styled image as a reformer.
Professors and activists blasted the so-called “seven speak-nots” after Zhang Xuezhong of the East China University of Political Science and Law posted them on his website. Censors quickly deleted Zhang’s post and censored all discussion of the “seven speak-nots” on social media.
The bans came amid a revival of hardliner attacks on constitutionalism in China and the shutdown of blogs belonging to several popular, prominent writers. Four blogs belonging to writer Murong Xuecun, including an account with 14 million followers, were shuttered, sending a chilling message to even mainstream critics of the government.
So what are these deadly topics that could land you in trouble? Below, a guide to what’s banned, and what they reveal about the deepest fears of Beijing and the Communist Party.
Universal values: To North American ears, the phrase connotes something straightforwardly positive, if rarely achieved: freedom, equality, human rights. But to the CCP, it’s treated like a subversive threat. State-run media frequently blast universal values as a front to weaken China and maintain U.S. power.
Freedom of speech: The CCP sees control of public discourse, particularly the media, as crucial to its hold on power. But the spread of social media has radically undermined party control, and the press has begun to show more independence in speaking out.
Civil society: What does the CCP have to fear from “civil society,” meaning community groups and non-governmental organizations? Well, from the party’s perspective, any organization — whether a student association or a spiritual exercise group — that is not controlled by the CCP is potentially a threat.
Civil rights: No surprise here. Given that the government regularly jails and relentlessly harasses lawyers who defend the legal rights of petitioners, peasants and women forced to have abortions, there is no doubt that individual rights are a taboo subject.
The historical errors of the CCP: For years, the party has tried to enforce selective historical amnesia, teaching students about the suffering of China under Western colonial powers in the 19th century, but skimming over many of the country’s worst 20th-century traumas, which were caused by CCP misrule.
Crony capitalism: Over the last year, few things have infuriated Beijing as much as the foreign reports about the immense wealth amassed by China’s supposedly socialist leaders. The reason is obvious: the CCP justifies its rule by pointing to China’s incredible economic growth. If Chinese people begin to believe party officials and their friends have been pocketing too much of the profits, their credibility frays.
Judicial independence: In China, some 99 per cent of criminal cases brought to trial end in conviction. As with the media, the CCP sees the courts as an arm of its control. In 2007, a Chinese legal official said that “the power of the courts to adjudicate independently doesn’t mean at all independence from the party. It is the opposite, the embodiment of a high degree of responsibility vis-à-vis party undertakings.”
Original Article
Source: thestar.com
Author: Benjamin Carlson
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