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China Is Gearing Up For A Summer Of Discontent

April 4, 2009

Chinese troops Martin McCauley writes: The Communist Party of China (CPC) is facing an unprecedented challenge to its leadership. The People’s Armed Police (PAP), the regular police, the state security service and other agencies are preparing to deal with a summer of discontent. The authorities are expecting demonstrations, riots and other ‘mass disturbances’ involving millions of unemployed workers and farmers. More resources are being devoted to monitoring the activities of Chinese dissidents living abroad, including those in the United States.

The Central Commission on Political and Legal Affairs (CCPLA), the most important law enforcement agency in China, is busy tightening security in order to ensure that ‘angry and disaffected elements’ do not threaten the stability of the state. Officially only 4.2 per cent of the labour force is unemployed but this does not include about 20 million of migrant workers. They are not included in labour statistics and hence do not qualify for social security benefits. The real level of unemployment in China may be as high as 10 per cent.

Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has underlined the importance of three ‘guarantees’: economic growth; the standard of living; and social and political stability. The police and the courts have been given a task of pre-empting unrest and deal aggressively with manifestations of opposition and disorder. Greater emphasis is devoted to gathering intelligence so that Beijing is better informed. Many more law enforcement units would be needed.

The CCPLA underlines the need to utilise the ‘tools of proletarian dictatorship’: the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the PAP and the police. Although the main task of the 2.4 million strong PLA is to defend the country against foreign attack, the CPC has lately been stressing the need to use of the PLA to ensure domestic security.
Part of the 14.9 per cent increase in the military budget is to be spent on measures that would ensure social and economic stability in the country. Hitherto the PAP were mainly responsible for providing law and order. The revelation that the PLA is to become more closely involved in matters of domestic security reveals the seriousness of the perceived threat to social harmony.
Earlier this year tens of thousands of PLA and PAP officers were deployed in Tibet. Their main task was to pre-empt demonstrations to mark the 50th anniversary of the Tibetan uprising of March 1959. The anniversary passed without seruioustrouble but only beasceu of massive security presence there.

The People’s Armed Police units are to be expanded and trained to deal more effectively with unrest. For the first time, the head of the PAP was elected to the CCPLA. Local PAP commanders have also been made members of regional Committees on Political and Legal Affairs.

The present measures are a continuation of those that were taken last year. After the riots in Tibet in 2008 the Chine government launched a ‘people’s war’ against ethnic ‘separatists’. Beijing residents were then mobilised to ensure the security of the Olympic Games. Over a million of the capital’s residents aided the PAP, police and a myriad of other agencies to police the Games. Last month over 600,000 people in the capital helped to boost security during the annual meetings of the National People’s Congress (the parliament) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

Great efforts have been made to improve coverage by CCTV cameras. Over a million cameras will be installed in the Pearl River Delta region alone by the end of this year. The region is one of the most affected by the economic downturn as most enterprises are oriented towards exports. Police there have exhorted enterprises to devote more attention to security. They are to recruit more internal security staff to ensure that doors, gates and locks are in good order. More alarms and CCTV cameras should be acquired. Guandong providence has set up a special unit of about a thousand police officers, security guards and militias to act in emergencies.

The main task of the courts is to ‘defuse contradictions’ arising from the economic downturn. Demobilised soldiers and PAP officers are to be recruited for fast track training as judges and prosecutors in the central and western provinces of China.

A major problem which remains is the quality of law enforcement agencies at the local level. Last month, on Hainan Island (on the southern tip of China), a youth was beaten to death by a gang from a neighbouring village. This led to a three day of clashes between the two villages. The villagers also attacked local police and security staff. They stated that they had lost faith in the local law enforcement agencies because they were ‘corrupt and protected criminals’.Corruption remains and ever present problem in China. The deputy head of the Supreme People’s Court has been arrested. He is the most senior judge to have ended up in a police cell. His case has been rumbling along for over six months. Such is the situation that about a dozen telephone numbers have been made available to citizens to inform on corrupt judges, police and prosecutors.

The fear is that corrupt memebers of the security forces and the judiciary may exacerbate the situation and ignite an already tense situation. No wonder Beijing is worried.

– End –

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