“The bigger they are, the harder they fall,” is an adage that we have all heard since we were little. This quotation is entirely appropriate given what’s happening in China. Just a few years ago, China was looked at by the world as an emerging superpower. a country the world could rely upon given its economic stability and non-adversarial nature. Today, all these speculations are considered a thing of the past. With China’s economy in the doldrums and a rising confrontation with the world, China is seen as the biggest threat to the world order. Even the CCP is cognizant of its worsening global image. In the end, they themselves are to be blamed for it. But instead of mending its ways, it tries to cover them up and keep its citizens in a fool’s paradise.
This is done through state-controlled media, banning foreign social media platforms, and using the Great Firewall to restrict information. Another aspect of this disinformation campaign is the organization of grand fetes to provide its citizens with fictitious moments of delight. One such fete is being organized on October 1, 2022, in the name of China’s national day. By the time the CCP has mastered the art of pretense, through these celebrations, it pretends to be confident and hides its growing vulnerability. This is done to show its citizens that everything is hunky dory and under control, though the reality is often chaotic. In this article, we will present some bitter facts that the CCP is trying to conceal through hollow celebrations.
ECONOMIC SLUMP AND SOCIAL ANXIETY
It’s no secret today that the Chinese economic “high-speed rail” has finally stalled, pun intended. China’s long-distance high-speed rail that was once profitable is now heading towards a trillion-dollar disaster with a whopping $900bn in debt. The Chinese economy is in the same situation. Once the fastest-growing major economy, it has now started showing signs of recession and economic stagnation. Even the IMF cuts the growth rate of the Chinese economy by a quarter to 3.3%, way below the government’s 5.5% target. Another major jolt was seen in exports, as in August export growth fell to just 7.1% compared to 18% in July. This was well below analysts’ expectations for a 12.8% increase.
About 1-in-5 people in urban cities between the age 16-24 are unemployed.
Unsurprisingly, Xi is to blame for such a miserable economic outlook. Xi’s shortsighted zero COVID policy paralyzed economic activity in major cities. According to officials, at least 74 cities have been closed off and it has affected more than 313 million residents. These cities accounted for 35% of China’s gross domestic product (GDP). These cities include Shenzhen, the world’s largest electronic market. Another headache for China is its rising unemployment. COVID lockdown leads to the shutting down of businesses, resulting in rising unemployment. China’s urban youth unemployment rate soared to 19.9% in July, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. The Chinese yuan has plummeted by 8.7% against the dollar, the biggest fall in the past 28 months.
This led to widespread social anxiety and unrest among the people as they started losing trust in the market. The situation is so grave that people have stopped paying their mortgages. Homebuyers have stopped mortgage payments in more than 80 cities. The fear of uncertainty and the risk of another Evergrande-like disaster crippled the psyche of the people. This resulted in the crumbling of China’s real estate sector, which was once the crown jewel of the Chinese economy. Property sales plunged for the 10th straight month. It’s like a nightmare for cash-starved property developers who have for a long time relied on pre-sales of apartments. The property market collapse is now so vast and extreme that property companies are demolishing entire cities of half-finished buildings. A recent report by UBS estimated that the property crisis in China was getting worse, wiping off $1 trillion from the global market.
THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA – A HOAX
With the word “Republic,” the first thing that comes to mind is the representation of people at all levels. In other words, a government of the people, by the people, for the people. The term “republic” represents everything that isn’t China. The Chinese version of the republic represents censorship, corruption, state surveillance 24/7, and forced disappearances for speaking your mind. To say China is a dictatorial regime is an understatement. This truth has been out in the open many times in the past few years. We have seen how blatantly the CCP regime stifled the voices of influential people like Jack Ma and tennis star Peng Shuai for the crime of speaking their minds. We have seen how the Chinese regime arrested all the doctors and journalists who dared to show the truth about the initial outbreak of COVID in Wuhan. This included journalists like Zhang Zhan.
China-based journalist Zhang Zhan.
Chinese authorities have a long history of using despicable tactics, such as concealing the death tolls of slain soldiers. A fresh example of it was seen during the Galwan clash. At least 30 Chinese soldiers died in the clash, but only five were given the luxury of state recognition as martyrs. That’s how the People’s Republic of China works. If you think it’s disgraceful enough to not give recognition to the slain soldier, then you are mistaken. Recently, a new report published by “The Chinese Army Daily” stated that the CCP has made the use of smart-sensing and exploding bracelets mandatory for its soldiers. This was done to prevent the surrender or defection of Chinese soldiers to India. The CCP could explode its soldiers with smart-sensor bracelets if they defect or surrender to the Indian Army.
This step was taken to avoid future embarrassment, such as the one suffered by the CCP during the Galwan Clash. Similar tactics were adopted by China to hide its own high COVID mortality rates to maintain its global image. For the CCP, its citizens are like guinea pigs that can be sacrificed at any time to maintain its political image. Even during the lockdown, Chinese authorities caged their citizens like cattle without any food or assistance. Unlike India, where the government provided free rations to its citizens during the lockdown, China allowed its citizens to starve. Those who tried to step out to buy food or milk for babies in desperation were jailed by the authorities. To prevent any violation, the police locked the house doors with iron planks.
Forced Lockdown in China.
Recently, 22 people died of starvation in one day under lockdown in Xinjiang’s Ghulja. Another 27 people died in a bus crash carrying them to a quarantine facility in Guizhou. All these innocent lives were lost just to comply with Emperor Xi’s diktats. There is no limit to the CCP’s terrorizing and killing its own people. Recently, the CCP rolled its armed tanks onto the streets to prevent people from withdrawing their money from banks. Tanks were used to terrorize people and bring back grim memories of the Tiananmen Square massacre. This shows the resolve of Chinese authorities to maintain their hold at the cost of their own citizens. It’s fair to say that China is anything but a People’s Republic. And celebrating its national day is just another futile trick to hide its abhorrent deeds.
