Is there any opposition to the CCP?
Opposition to the CCP is not tolerated. For over 70 years the Chinese government has used the army and police to crack down on anyone demanding increased political freedom or the right to vote.
Dissidents are people who oppose the Chinese political system. Punishment for dissidents is harsh and can include long periods in prison, torture, or exile (exclusion from China).
China has been given a low 鈥楪lobal Freedom Score鈥 of 9/100 (Freedom House, 2023) meaning its people have limited political and civil rights.
It also has the second highest number of prisoners in the world, with 2.3 million people either in prison or awaiting trial. (Source: Institute of Criminal Policy Research)
CCP control
The CCP has developed a number of strategies for controlling information and protest.
State media control
Newspapers, radio and television are largely state (or CCP) controlled and reflect the views of the CCP. Journalists are restricted in what they can report and may be subject to arrest or imprisonment for any criticism of the government or Communist Party.
People in Hong Kong who support democracy, have been dealing with stricter actions and arrests by the police, since 2018.
In 2021, Jimmy Lai, who started the 鈥楢pple Daily鈥 newspaper, was arrested and given a 14-month prison sentence. He was found guilty or being part of a gathering that wasn鈥檛 officially allowed, and his newspaper had to stop working. The newspaper was known for strongly criticizing the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and supporting the pro-democracy cause.
The 'Great firewall of China'
The internet is heavily monitored and controlled. Access is denied to websites that may be critical of the CCP. Foreign websites, blogs and social media sites are also blocked or banned.
For example, TikTok was created and is run by a Chinese company, ByteDance, but it is not available in China. Instead Chinese people can access a similar site, Douyin, but are not able to see content created by users outside China.
Those involved in illegal online activity may be arrested and subject to long periods of imprisonment.
Regulation of foreign journalists
Foreign journalists and reporters are closely regulated. Many have been subjected to harassment and threats by plain clothes police or other government officials.
For example, whilst giving accounts of China鈥檚 Zero Covid situation in 2002, foreign journalists experienced additional health protocols to obstruct reporting, lack of access to highly affected areas of China, in some cases they struggled to secure visas and came up against delayed paperwork, social media monitoring and government surveillance. (Source: Federation of International Journalists)
CCP membership rules
In 2015, the CCP issued new rules for its 88 million members to ensure the party leaders have tighter control over ordinary members. Included in these new rules are further controls on political speech and meetings.