CCP Threatens to Intensify Internet Controls

The CCP has constructed the Great Firewall, obstructing citizens from accessing truthful information from overseas. (Dajiyuan composite image)

[People News] Despite the CCP having long established an extensive Great Firewall and imposing strict daily internet controls, CCP leader Xi Jinping recently still called for even tighter online restrictions. The announcement has sparked widespread discussion overseas.

According to CCP mouthpiece Xinhua News Agency, on the afternoon of November 28, the CCP Politburo held a “collective study session” on “strengthening the governance of cyberspace ecology.” At the meeting, Xi claimed that internet governance is vital to “national development and security,” and said China must improve long-term mechanisms for managing cyberspace and continue creating a so-called “clean and upright” online environment. Xi also claimed that online “chaos” pollutes social norms, and called for “drawing swords,” cutting off “interest chains” and “industrial chains”… He further demanded stronger “guidance” over online platforms, self-media, and multi-channel online institutions, pushing them to “consciously become transmitters of positive energy,” and so forth.

Independent commentator Cai Shenkun said on his personal channel that it is clear this is the launch of a carefully engineered new political campaign, explicitly mentioning the need to “fight with real knives and real guns, bring out the bayonets, and dare to clash head-on.” In the future, even private chats on WeChat and internal Party rumors could become key targets for punishment. Cai noted that ahead of the Fourth Plenum, there had been all kinds of rumors circulating online—rumors that did not appear out of thin air, but were deliberately spread by certain Party insiders to pressure Xi Jinping. At that time, it was already rumored that Xi was preparing to carry out sweeping rectifications of cyberspace and use this opportunity to purge a large number of people—both inside and outside the Party—who have been spreading or forwarding online information. In particular, he reportedly wants to settle scores with a few “second-generation reds.” These rumors and insider messages have impacted WeChat group conversations among netizens. The CCP’s propaganda authorities may impose harsh crackdowns on some platforms—for example, shutting down certain websites—and propaganda superiors may even take over some private online platforms directly. This could deal a fatal or even destructive blow to the entire online ecosystem, and this is one of the key points of interest in this Politburo study session.

Current affairs commentator Li Linyi told The Epoch Times that Xi personally ordering the rectification of cyberspace shows his dissatisfaction with online public opinion. For example, many people are complaining that China’s economic situation is poor, and to Xi, this becomes “negative energy.” Authorities demand that the internet not contain negative content, but online sentiment does not reflect this demand. This shows that many people in society maintain a very clear understanding of real-world problems. Xi’s claim that this concerns “national development and security” reflects his fear of losing control over online public opinion.

A mainland lawyer surnamed Lu (pseudonym) told The Epoch Times that the so-called “clean and upright atmosphere,” along with the official “main themes” and similar terms, are CCP brainwashing slogans—beautification of its wrongdoing. Xi’s claim of building a “cyber superpower” in reality means building a “superpower” that is monitored and devoid of free expression. What the CCP fears most is people exposing its evil and its darkness. “To put it plainly, they just want to silence the people and crack down severely on online free speech—everything they say is an excuse.”

The development triggered heated discussion among overseas netizens, who believe the CCP “is simply forbidding people from speaking altogether.”

A YouTube user @tianjiaojing commented: “On the one hand, they loudly prepare for the so-called 155 meeting to focus on economic development and commemorate Hu Yaobang. On the other hand, they tighten internet surveillance and censorship, making the entire country speak with one leader and one voice—isn’t this ridiculous?”

Other netizens wrote:
“Silencing ordinary people? Society can explode easily.”
“It seems the voices of dissent inside the Great Firewall are not small at all—so loud Xi can no longer ignore them.”
“Feels like many accounts inside China are going to disappear soon.”
“In Xi Jinping’s eyes, the people’s voices have become ‘online chaos.’ Any voice unfavorable to the CCP’s dictatorship can be labeled as ‘harming the interests of the masses.’ Those in power are not solving problems—they’re silencing the ones who raise them.”

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