{"id":216413,"date":"2025-01-16T05:36:15","date_gmt":"2025-01-16T05:36:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/16\/china-deploys-more-security-to-try-to-reassure-a-country-on-edge\/"},"modified":"2025-01-16T05:36:15","modified_gmt":"2025-01-16T05:36:15","slug":"china-deploys-more-security-to-try-to-reassure-a-country-on-edge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/16\/china-deploys-more-security-to-try-to-reassure-a-country-on-edge\/","title":{"rendered":"China Deploys More Security to Try to Reassure a Country on Edge"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1050\" height=\"550\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/07\/multimedia\/00china-stability-01-hpgz\/00china-stability-01-hpgz-facebookJumbo.jpg?fit=1050,550&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"China Deploys More Security to Try to Reassure a Country on Edge\" title=\"China Deploys More Security to Try to Reassure a Country on Edge\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Chinese government is stepping up measures to root out potential troublemakers and suppress social discontent, after a spate of mass killings has shaken the country and stirred fears about public safety.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Armed police have been stationed outside of schools, with bollards erected nearby to prevent cars from ramming into people. Police officers have increased patrols in supermarkets, tourist attractions and other crowded places, and pledged to better regulate knives and other weapons. Officials have also promised to help the unemployed and distribute holiday subsidies to the needy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The security push, which the authorities in some places have labeled \u201cOperation Winter,\u201d follows a string of recent attacks that put a renewed spotlight on China\u2019s struggling economy. In November, a driver plowed into a crowd outside a sports center in the city of Zhuhai, killing at least 35 people in <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/11\/13\/world\/asia\/china-car-zhuhai-ramming.html\" title=\"\">China\u2019s deadliest attack in a decade<\/a>. A <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/11\/16\/world\/asia\/wuxi-china-stabbing.html\" title=\"\">stabbing that killed eight people<\/a>, and <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/11\/19\/world\/asia\/china-school-car-ramming.html\" title=\"\">another car ramming outside a school<\/a>, followed barely a week afterward. In all three cases, officials said the perpetrators were venting financial dissatisfactions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">After the Zhuhai attack, China\u2019s leader, Xi Jinping, ordered officials to \u201cstrictly prevent extreme cases.\u201d The authorities at all levels have raced to comply.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The drivers in the two car attacks were sentenced to death late last month, in unusually speedy trials that showed the government\u2019s determination to crack down on possible copycats.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Projecting stability and control has long been one of the ruling Chinese Communist Party\u2019s biggest preoccupations, its implicit justification for limiting citizens\u2019 civil liberties. But that preoccupation has become even more central as high youth unemployment, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/11\/04\/business\/china-foreclosures-mortgages.html\" title=\"\">soaring foreclosures<\/a> and deteriorating international relations have fueled widespread anxiety about China\u2019s future. Some government workers have gone unpaid, as local governments\u2019 finances stagnate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-2\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Public protests, mostly related to economic issues such as investment losses or unpaid wages, grew by 18 percent in the first 11 months of 2024, compared to the year before, according to a tracker by Freedom House, a Washington-based advocacy group.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But Beijing has remained reluctant to strengthen the country\u2019s social safety net or offer substantial direct relief to consumers. Instead, it has leaned on more heavy-handed tactics to root out those with grievances.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-3\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/baijiahao.baidu.com\/s?id=1819549450399840801&amp;wfr=spider&amp;for=pc\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">central government<\/a> urged officials to ensure social stability during the holiday season, saying in a Dec. 27 notice that they should \u201cconduct dragnet investigations for all kinds of conflicts and hidden risks and dangers.\u201d<span class=\"css-8l6xbc evw5hdy0\">  <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In Yinchuan, a city in northwestern China, police officers investigated whether there were any incidents of bullying or disputes between faculty or students, according to a <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thepaper.cn\/newsDetail_forward_29741847\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">news release<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In Yancheng, in eastern China, the police have checked karaoke bars, rental housing and hotels for potential layabouts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">At a <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/m.thepaper.cn\/baijiahao_29833329\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">recent meeting<\/a> of villagers and local party officials in central Henan Province, the police \u201cencouraged everyone to actively report on any conflicts and disputes that have occurred in the village recently.\u201d Under Mr. Xi, the Chinese government has r<a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/05\/25\/world\/asia\/china-surveillance-xi.html\" title=\"\">enewed calls for ordinary residents to keep an eye on one another<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The central government routinely issues guidance about ensuring a safe holiday season. But this year, the instructions on social stability were more detailed. They singled out venues to keep an eye on \u2014 including campuses and sports venues \u2014 and called on officials to monitor public opinion and provide \u201cpositive guidance.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-4\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Discussion about the attacks, and about economic discontent in general, has been heavily censored. Relatives of the victims have also been prevented from speaking with journalists.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-5\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Economists and public commentators have suggested that the government should focus more on boosting consumer confidence, and offering stronger protections for ordinary people against financial hardships. The authorities have at times acknowledged those demands, such as in their promises to combat wage arrears for migrant workers, or provide holiday handouts to homeless people or people with disabilities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">This month, many civil servants across the country discovered that they had been given a surprise pay raise, according to discussion on social media, though the government did not issue any formal announcement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Yet many calls for more substantive reforms have been censored, themselves deemed threats to social stability.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-6\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThey should have been looking for what forces turned these people into beasts, but instead they ran off to investigate the \u2018five types of losers,\u2019\u201d Li Chengpeng, a former prominent Chinese journalist now living overseas, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/chinese\/714604.html\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">wrote on social media<\/a>. He was referring to local government notices that circulated online directing officials to surveil people who had suffered losses, such as of jobs or investments.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Still, the same economic downturn that may be fueling some people\u2019s grievances may also make it difficult to sustain the heightened security measures.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Many local governments are already swimming in debt. They are under intense pressure now to answer Mr. Xi\u2019s call to prevent mass incidents, but their money and manpower will soon come under strain, said <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/hongshenzhu.org\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Hongshen Zhu<\/a>, an assistant professor at Lingnan University in Hong Kong who studies Chinese governance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cAs long as no new incidents occur, the priority of public safety will drop for local governments until the next public outcry happens,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/16\/world\/asia\/china-mass-killings-security.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Chinese government is stepping up measures to root out potential troublemakers and suppress social discontent, after a spate of mass killings has shaken the country and stirred fears about public safety. Armed police have been stationed outside of schools, with bollards erected nearby to prevent cars from ramming into people. Police officers have increased [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":216414,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/07\/multimedia\/00china-stability-01-hpgz\/00china-stability-01-hpgz-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[168,139541,643,16344,1105,170669,6273,20048,2441,166088,2762,170670],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216413"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=216413"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216413\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":216415,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216413\/revisions\/216415"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/216414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=216413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=216413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=216413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}