In commemoration of the Tiananmen Massacre, the following is from a pamphlet issued by the Autonomous Federation of Students on June 4th, 1989. It outlines and reiterates the need to remain nonviolent. “This fascist massacre pushes the people of the entire nation beyond the outer limits of toleration. The blood will not have been shed … More Urging Nonviolence After Tiananmen
This article was originally published on May Day as ‘Yue Yuen: wildcat strieks and autonomous labor struggles in China’ at ROAR Magazine, reflections on a revolution, as part of a series on labor resistance, available here. — In China, the Communist Party (CCP) and the All China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) promote and protect … More Yue Yuen and the world
The crackdown on ‘human flesh searches’ and including cybersecurity within the jurisdiction of the recently created National Security Committee, are the most recent episodes in a series that outlines the Communist Party’s concern and intent regarding social media. Xi Jinping’s administration is concerned that social media represents an innovative mechanism for petitioning and collective action … More The Securitization of Social Media in China
This article was originally published under the headline Internationalizing rights-based resistance in China: the UN Human Rights Council and the citizen at openDemocracy.net on 15 November 2013. But in light of today, UN Human Rights Day, it seems appropriate to share again. — On the morning of 22 October, special envoy Wu Hailong led Beijing’s … More In China: Rightful Resistance and the UN Human Rights Council
Yesterday ChinaFile published a short collection of responses from journalists, academics, and politicians expressing their analysis and illustrating what they see as the correct path forward regarding the non-renewal of journalist’s visas in a piece called: Will China Shut Out the Foreign Press Here is my immediate reaction: I think Bill Bishop‘s remarks are the … More Foreign Journalist Reprisals in Beijing
The common wisdom is that in the post-Mao years China has experienced unprecedented developments from the grassroots level to the high echelons of power. Some observers cling to examples of minor achievements in political opening to bolster far flung claims that China is on a gradual path toward political liberalization. Such pundits, mired in now … More Localizing Inclusive Institutions: Adaptive Governance in China
This Article was originally published on 24 September by openDemocracy under the title A Sea of Dissent: Nonviolent Waves in China. — In 2010, Chinese sociologist, Sun Linping, estimated that the number of mass incidents across China had surpassed 180,000 that year, more than doubling from 2006. This indicates growing discontent in the world’s most … More Surveying Nonviolence in China
Out along the high speed rail lines, somewhere between Beijing and Tianjin is the Italian themed outlet mall Florentia Village. The pastiche of Roman, Venetian, Florentine and Chinese styles, facades, walkways, and faces is replete with a miniature canal ride fit for a low budget Disneyland ride, a pizza chain, and Costa coffee. The stores … More Florentia Village: Pastiche halfway between Beijing and Tianjin
Amid the usual frenetic pulsing throngs of passing subway patrons, Beijing denizens and tourists rushing from the sliding doors of subway cars to be the first ones up the escalator to make their connections or meetings, I examined my reflection in a glass partition waiting for the train to pass. After the train rushed away, … More Toothless Tigers in the Subway: An Animal Rights Campaign in China
China and the United States met on 30 and 31 July in the capital of Yunnan Province, Kunming, affectionately known as the city of eternal Spring, to hold the 18th US – China Human Rights Dialogue. The US press statement noted, ‘The Human Rights Dialogue provides an important opportunity to elaborate on our concerns about … More The US and China on International Human Rights Instruments
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