The recent arrest, and release, of writers Liu Xiaobo, Yu Jie and Zhang Zuhua, as well as the resignation of the editors of China Youth Daily and Xin Zhou Bao, has sparked fears of a new crackdown on free expression in China. According to a report in the South China Morning Post (Via Asia Media), “In an internal party meeting, Mr Hu reportedly attributed communism’s collapse in the Soviet Union to the regime’s failure to hold firm on ideology, and demanded the party fortify itself against corrosive influences… The editor of a party newspaper said resorting to the old ideology was seen as a solution for widespread social dissatisfaction as reflected in mass protests over rampant official corruption and the uneven redistribution of state assets. ”
See also SCMP articles, “Editors at outspoken newspapers reined in” and “Intellectuals are free, but homes guarded by police officers”
