On September 2, many schools in China welcomed the start of a new semester. The official Chinese Communist Party publication recently released speeches from the party leader Xi Jinping, emphasizing the necessity to avoid nurturing “socialist destroyers and grave diggers.” Experts believe that this action reveals Xi’s insecurity and reflects the increasing dissatisfaction among Chinese people towards the authoritarian rule of the CCP.
In an article published in the CCP’s official journal “Qiushi,” Xi Jinping stated that the education system must not produce individuals who deviate from the principles of socialism, as that would be considered a failure. The article was based on Xi’s speech at the National Education Conference on September 10, 2018, where he emphasized the importance of cultivating “builders and successors of socialism,” rather than those who lack a sense of national identity.
Xi Jinping also warned against the influence of “hostile forces” orchestrating “color revolutions” and declared that in the struggle for younger generations, “we cannot afford to lose.” He demanded the immediate rejection of any teaching materials that deviate from the prescribed political ideology. Since Xi Jinping came into power in 2012, the CCP has continuously reinforced its control over students’ ideologies, including introducing “Xi Jinping Thought” into middle school curriculum even in Hong Kong.
On overseas platforms, netizens have been discussing the implications of Xi’s remarks, with some criticizing the regime for potentially suppressing independent thinking and creating a generation of compliant individuals. The fear of dissent among Chinese citizens is evident in Xi’s efforts to strengthen ideological indoctrination through so-called “patriotic education.”
Gong Xiangsheng, Deputy Researcher at the Taiwan Institute for National Defense and Security Studies, noted that ever since the inception of China’s reform and opening-up policy, the CCP has been wary of Western ideologies seeping into the country. While Western nations aim to support China’s modernization in the hope that its citizens will demand democratic freedoms, Xi Jinping showcases a deep-rooted fear of potential revolution, leading to his intensified authoritarian grip on power.
Wu Sezhi, a researcher at the Cross-Strait Policy Association and advisor to Taiwanese think tanks, suggested that revisiting Xi’s previous speeches indicates internal dissent within the party, prompting Xi to potentially purging individuals deviating from the socialist line of thought. Despite consolidating power since the 19th National Congress, Xi’s lingering insecurity pushes him to tighten control over ideological narratives within China.
Professor Chen Shimin from the Department of Political Science at National Taiwan University highlighted the growing trend of Chinese citizens contemplating emigration, reflecting a loss of confidence in the CCP’s governance. The increasing migration of wealthy individuals and their assets abroad serves as a testament to the dwindling trust in the CCP’s authoritarian rule.
Regarding Xi Jinping’s assertion against cultivating individuals lacking a sense of national identity, Chen argued that those individuals have not lost their Chinese roots but have merely seen through the CCP’s propaganda. For instance, Chinese filmmaker Zhao Ting, who won the Best Director award at the 2021 Oscars, criticized the prevalence of falsehoods in China, leading her to rebel against the system.
Chen contended that Chinese immigrants often serve as stark evidence of disillusionment with the CCP’s indoctrination tactics. A recent example is the public condemnation of the Chinese government by a 90s-born student studying abroad in Canada named Wang Miaosen, who, despite his critical stance, still holds concern for the current political climate in China.
Despite Xi Jinping’s rhetoric against nurturing “grave diggers” within the CCP, critics like American scholar Wu Zuolai have labeled Xi as an “accelerator of the demise of the Chinese Communist Party.” As China’s economy continues to decline, with the Shanghai Composite Index falling below 2800 points on September 3, mounting dissent among the populace is primarily attributed to the authoritarian governance of the CCP.
While the authorities resort to coercive measures to maintain their grip on power, the rapid dissemination of information in the digital age poses a significant challenge. If organized dissent were to unite against the regime, there remains a possibility that the CCP, much like the communist states in Eastern Europe in 1989, could face a sudden collapse overnight.