In only his second trip abroad this year, Xi Jinping attended this week’s BRICS summit in South Africa in the hope of scoring a major political victory. The five-member group—comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South...
After one month without making a public statement or appearance, Qin Gang was removed from his position as foreign minister on Tuesday. At least for now, he will be replaced by his boss Wang Yi, who leads the CCP’s foreign...
At times, parsing propaganda for deeper meaning is difficult. At others, the (unintentional) message is hidden in plain sight. In October 2018, one bus passenger in Guizhou’s Nayong County realized that a roadside billboard...
A novel propaganda method—a “video call” from Xi Jinping delivering Lunar New Year’s well-wishes—inspired titters after China Central Television (CCTV) shared it on Weibo. The Weibo link sent users to a faux WeChat...
There was little doubt about who would emerge ascendant from the 20th Party Congress. Nonetheless, the numerous profiles written on the man over the past week reinforce just how much power Xi Jinping has managed to accumulate as...
Following one man’s daring political protest against Xi Jinping’s continued rule and harsh zero-COVID policies on the eve of China’s 20th Communist Party Congress, citizens and activists have launched a poster campaign in...
A violent confrontation between protesters and Chinese consular staff in the U.K. highlights China’s increasing determination to police beyond its borders, and tests the resolve of Western governments to maintain their...
A series of recent surveys shows how Chinese diplomacy in the era of Xi Jinping has soured attitudes toward China in many developed countries. At the same time, Chinese officials are doubling down on their foreign policy...
Ideological orthodoxy has long been a top Party priority, and in recent years digital technology has been increasingly utilized by authorities toward that goal. Xuexi Qiangguo, a slick Alibaba-made app designed to teach users Xi...
Outspoken former property tycoon and longtime Party insider Ren Zhiqiang was sentenced to 18 years in prison on Tuesday. Ren had disappeared in March and was reported to be under investigation, shortly after he wrote and shared...
Viral Content is a new CDT series introducing terms coined and used by Chinese netizens during the 2019-2020 COVID-19 outbreak. These terms include both subversive critiques and nationalistic support of government policies....
Tsinghua University has fired Xu Zhangrun, a law professor and outspoken critic of Xi Jinping’s leadership, who was released on Sunday after six days in detention. Xu was suspended from teaching duties in August 2018 after...
The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online. The name of the issuing body has been omitted to protect the source. All websites, find and delete...
PEN America reported on Monday that rights lawyer Xu Zhiyong has been formally arrested for inciting subversion, four months after he was found and detained after going into hiding amid a round-up of activists on December 26....
Outspoken property tycoon Ren Zhiqiang went missing nearly four weeks ago, soon after the online circulation of an essay attributed to him which sharply attacked the official handling of the COVID-19 epidemic and especially the...
On Tuesday, Xi Jinping visited Wuhan, epicenter of the now global COVID-19 pandemic, in a show of official confidence that the worst of the outbreak in China has passed. For years, official rhetoric has emphasized Xi’s...
Sensitive Words highlights keywords that are blocked from Sina Weibo search results. CDT independently tests the keywords before posting them, but some searches later become accessible again. We welcome readers to contribute to...
Ahead of Tuesday’s showcase of homegrown military technology to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic, NPR’s Emily Feng described the occasion’s symbolic importance, political...
Click on the image to download Firefly for circumvention
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