The Chinese Ministry of State Security will “severely” censor online negative comments on the Chinese economy. Chinese social media platform, Weibo, cautioned some of its users that crossing the “red line”—sharing content that portrays “a negative outlook on China’s economy”—could lead to repercussions. Analysts believe the tactic is an indication that China’s economy is beyond recovery.
According to the state publication on the Party’s Central Economic Work Conference in Beijing on Dec. 11 and 12, the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) security department emphasized that economic security is a crucial element of national security and has acquired active participation of relevant departments to address “economic risks.”
Censorship for Economic Stability
The article emphasized that there are individuals who “selectively overlook the global economic impact stemming from the three-year-long pandemic and regional geopolitical conflicts,” and “turn a blind eye to the robust resistance built by the West’s sustained efforts to disengage from China, creating obstacles and exerting pressure.”
Specifically, the article blamed the individuals for “maliciously concocting false narratives” such as China “seeks security at the expense of development,” “excludes foreign investment,” and “suppresses private enterprises;” and warned of individuals who have “hidden agendas” to “sow chaos in market expectations and disrupt the positive momentum of the Chinese economic growth.”
The “false narratives” are clichéd and unfounded claims that attempt to undermine China’s economy, said the article.
“This vividly reveals the severity of China’s current economic situation,” former Beijing lawyer Lai Jianping told the Chinese language edition of The Epoch Times.
The regime can only resort to “the most extreme and nonsensical tactic,” getting the state security apparatus involved to “compel everyone into silence,” said Mr. Lai.
“This simply tells the fact that the dire economic situation is far beyond the capacity of the regime,” he said.
The regime’s ban on speech critical of the Chinese economy led to Chinese social media issuing warnings on the expression of economic views by influential figures.
A screenshot circulating online reveals that on Dec. 14, “Weibo Finance” issued a notice to influential bloggers, urging them to be cautious about the language used in their posts and explicitly “prohibiting the dissemination of any content that portrays a negative outlook on the economy.”
In a group message, “Weibo Legal” conveyed a notice: “Dealing with expressions of economic pessimism will be stringent in the near future. We urge everyone not to approach sensitive topics when posting on social media.”
Multiple well-known financial influencers on Weibo have individually verified the authenticity of these notifications.
A financial influencer further disclosed that Weibo has broadened its enforcement, extending to the prohibition of discussions that “speak favorably about the U.S. economy;” accordingly, a blogger’s post had been “silenced for 90 days.”
“What is supposedly standard practice in any country and advantageous for the government to identify errors and fine-tune its policy directions through the public assessing the nation’s economic policies, analyzing economic issues, offering insights for the future, and conducting reviews, become a security threat to the regime, and a crime for the public. It’s just absurd,” said Mr. Lai.
Commentator Zhong Yuan said that resorting to state security apparatus to maintain the image of China’s economic stability “indeed signifies a genuine lack of viable options.”
Zhang Hong and Luo Ya contributed to this report.
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