Thirty years after Tiananmen Square Massacre China is more repressive and authoritarian

On the early hours of June 4^th, 1989 thousands of students who occupied the Tiananmen Square of Beijing calling for social reforms were mercilessly massacred. Thirty years after this brutal repression the young Chinese are completely are unaware of the high-handed oppression of the totalitarian state. Chinese Communist Party (CCP) which rules the country with an iron fist has censored all the references to the students protests. By imposing tight leash on the internet, Chinese government has managed to extricate anti-party protests from public memory. It has successfully created a cultural amnesia about this event which sowed the seeds of democracy in the Communist land. According to the reports of human rights activists and international agencies it is believed that this massacre claimed lives of 10,000 students. A decade after introduction of economic reforms, Chinese students keen on social and political transformation aspired for freedom of speech. Perceiving these traits as threat to the one-party communist rule, Paramount leader President Deng Xiaoping mobilised army and called for suppression of the protests by force.

Ironically while Chinese government ensured erasure of all references to the Tiananmen Square massacre from the public domain, President Xi praised the May 4^th Students protests which marked birth of CCP. Ever since CCP reigned supreme, Marxism made way into China and people are expected to be subservient to the party. While the event is widely celebrated, the two principles “free thought and all-embracing tolerance” expounded during the May 4^th students’ protests are yet to find their place in China. Open-criticism of the party is not tolerated and student dissenters often disappeared.

The west which initially imposed some sanctions on China in response to Tiananmen massacre, engrossed by the democratic movement which led to fall of Berlin wall and subsequent collapse of Soviet Union, revoked imposition of arms embargo. Communist party, banned the entry of foreign media, censored the domestic media, purged officials sympathetic towards protests and jailed several student leaders and muzzled the democratic voices.  The world which was preoccupied by the Korean war, hardly battled an eyelid to censure China for annexing Tibet in 1950. Similarly, the international community roiled by the US-Soviet Union collision and the Cuban missile crisis, never bother to castigate Beijing for invading India in 1962. The absence of international approbation towards unparalleled two-decade long homicide by the Supreme leader, Mao Zedong during the Great Leap Forward (1956-62) and cultural revolution (1966-76) that resulted in the death of 42.5 million encouraged President Deng to crush students dissent with an iron fist. Worse so, unbuoyed by the excesses perpetrated by Mao, US have informally reached out to China in 1972 to shift geopolitical calculus in its favour. Though US and the UN imposed a total trade embargo on China for its intervention in 1950 Korean war, UN lifted sanctions immediately after the war in 1953. The US strictly put a sanction regime on strategic goods in place till 1972. But by and large, the economic sanctions remain a mere pretence as Chinese economy made impressive gains during the supposed sanction regime from 1950-72. After 1953 majority of the countries lifted sanctions, Soviet Union returned Chinese properties and offered financial assistance. By diversifying trade after falling out with Soviet Union in 1960, China registered trade surplus. The regime which oversaw homicide never suffered for its authoritarian disposition.

Indifference of the international community towards numerous crackdown and public protests have bolstered the authoritarian rise of China. Emboldened by the international silence, Beijing which ever paid any price for the ruthless crackdown rose to phenomenal heights becoming the second largest economy of the World. America which was keen on strengthening its foot hold in China through trade since the times of President Truman, turned a blind eye to the activities of the Communist party. With cursory condemnations, America even ignored the predatory trade practices of China.  Lately under President Trump, US woken up to the dramatic rise of China poised to challenge the super power is a pressing red button and started imposing some costs.

China acquired significant global clout after three-decades of double-digit growth redoubled its efforts to consolidate its position in this part of the globe. Giving boost to the nationalistic rise of China, President Xi aggressively pursued Chinese interests. Moving away from the paradigm of “biding your time and hiding your strengths”, Xi carried out the aggressive reclamation of the territorial features in the South China Sea (SCS). In 2012, China stealthily occupied Scarborough Shoal claimed by Philippines refused US mediation, persisted on direct talks with Philippines to resolve the issue. After failing to evict China from the Shoal, Philippines pulled up China to the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in 2014. Finally, when the court ruled in favour of Philippines but China blatantly rejected the verdict in 2016. Baring an official condemnation, nations across the globe, silently watched the spectacle.

Internment of over 1 million Uighur Muslims in camps and complete domestic surveillance in the Xinjiang province now stands as a tall example of China’s unrestrained use of power against its own citizens. Following Uighur rioting and stabbing of Han Chinese in the Urumqi in 2009, CCP has intensified crackdown on them. Ever since, Uighurs were coerced to relinquish their religious and cultural identities. Majority of them are separated from their families, detained in so called, re-education camps without any legal process are compelled to renounce Islam. Over 11 million Uighurs are subjected to round the clock surveillance and forced to give their DNA and biometric samples. Citing concerns of terrorism, China has been justifying its actions and denying access to international media. Concerned by the plight of the Uighurs, the UN and human rights agencies demanded access to the camps. Much to the chagrin of the global world, countries and especially Muslim nations prioritising strategic and economic relations with China chose to ignore China’s human rights abuses. Other than issuing official condemnations even US failed to “hold China accountable”.

China which spares no dissent incarcerated the Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo who carried a non-violent struggle for the fundamental rights of Chinese.  Despite appeals from international society, China refused medical assistance to Liu ailing from liver cancer. After his death in 2017 Germany vehemently criticised China and other countries followed the suit. But China didn’t face a glitch. It has been business as usual. For the past six decades, China refused to concede the genuine demands of the Tibetans who are seeking autonomy. Beijing rejected pleas of the people of Hongkong, a former British Colony, keen on exercising universal suffrage to elect their representatives. China has been crushing the protests of people with iron fist for the past seven decades. CCP is intolerant towards independent democratic voices that spearheaded Umbrella movement as well. 

Perceiving domestic dissent as a major threat, China is doubling its expenditure towards domestic security. In terms of absolute figures for the year 2017, People Liberation Army (PLA) spent $ 161 billion as opposed to $196 billion by internal security forces. The spending patterns clearly reflect the precocious internal security status of China.

Though the West detests monopoly of CCP, wary of a fall out with the Middle Kingdom chose to look the other way. This augured well for President Xi’s pursuits who ambitiously launched BRI (Belt and Road Initiatives) to expand Chinese global presence. With its meteoric rise, authoritarian China sizzled as an alternative to the ideology expounded by the West.  Dictatorial leaderships across the world began to draw inspiration from the Middle Kingdom. But in course of time mercantilist trade practices, opaque transactions of China leading to the economic meltdown of smaller BRI nations began to rebound. Bogged down by concerns of economic viability, sovereignty issues and environmental concerns China’s actions came under international scrutiny. Credibility of China slumped and international backlash dented its image.

Last year, brandishing several unique distinctions to his credit, President Xi, undermined the CCP. He abolished two-term succession rule instituted by President Deng and became “Emperor for life time”. Brooking no dissent, Xi began cracking down on his political enemies by framing corruption charges and incarcerating them in jails for indefinite periods. Despotic disposition of Xi is brewing dissent among the party cadres as well. The triple whammy of trade war with the US, slowing economy, burgeoning international backlash is fuelling unrest among the Chinese who are now feeling the pangs of oppression. Though Chinese government has firewalled its people against pro-democratic movements, domestic dissent triggered by absolute authoritarianism are bound to clamp brakes on the triumphalism of Beijing. Thirty years after the Tiananmen massacre, there are still no signs of democracy. On the contrary, by reversing the institutionalised collective leadership China has become more repressive and authoritarian.

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