For years, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has tightly controlled the internet, but it has not been able to effectively block radio waves. Recently, the CCP’s Ministry of State Security issued a warning to harshly punish individuals who “spread rumors” using wireless radio equipment. Experts believe that the CCP is becoming increasingly paranoid, fearing the spread of internal political and economic truths, as well as insider information on power struggles within the CCP, which may also be related to its ambitions to invade Taiwan.
On March 23, the CCP Ministry of State Security’s official WeChat account issued a message stating that radio waves, though silent, can carry a vast amount of information. Some radio enthusiasts view foreign radio equipment as “novel toys,” illegally purchasing them, posing a threat to “national security,” and calling for precautions against “cross-border underground flows of radio waves” to prevent illegal use, among other measures.
The article cited two cases of individuals being punished: one involving a radio enthusiast named Zheng who set up suspicious equipment near a military port in China, continuously collecting sensitive signals and being penalized; and another case of Zhang who operated a private radio station, arrested for “receiving instructions from foreign forces to disseminate false information.”
Shen Mingshi, a researcher at Taiwan’s National Defense University, told Epoch Times that the CCP has implemented various measures to control and block inappropriate content or attacks on the internet using the Great Firewall. Now, only radio waves remain difficult to block.
Shen Mingshi believes that the CCP’s issuance of warnings regarding the use of radio waves confirms its increasing paranoia. The CCP is concerned about citizens communicating via radio waves to mobilize collective action and is also worried about information leaks of important CCP data through radio waves.
“For example, if incidents like the arrest of He Weidong or many other detailed events are leaked, the outside world can analyze the changes in internal power struggles within the CCP or the current economic or political conditions,” he said.
In recent years, CCP politics have become more opaque, with many military leaders and officials falling from grace without official announcements. Recently, He Weidong, a close confidant of CCP leader Xi Jinping and Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, was reported to be in trouble, but no confirmation has been made yet.
Shen Mingshi pointed out that there are many issues within the CCP, with a particular fear of information circulation among the people and external analysis of the CCP’s actual national power or military dynamics. Radio waves or radio stations are areas where the CCP is less vigilant, and it is now working to plug these loopholes.
However, analysts believe that the CCP may only be able to issue warnings and struggle to effectively block radio waves.
Su Ziyun, director of the Institute of Defense Strategy and Resources in Taiwan, told Epoch Times that if people transmit signals through radio stations, the CCP’s Ministry of State Security can monitor and control them. But if people install receiving antennas, authorities cannot detect them. Therefore, mainland Chinese people who set up receiving antennas can listen to outside signals, such as broadcasts from Sound of Hope, Taiwan, or foreign countries, which provide suppressed societal information, allowing more people to understand and share real information.
Former Associate Professor at Capital Normal University, Li Yuanhua, also mentioned to Epoch Times that the CCP fears people using radio waves to uncover the truth because it has already considered shutting down the internet when necessary. However, with radio waves, listening is possible without breaking the network, leaving the CCP powerless.
Li Yuanhua further pointed out that the CCP is now intensifying its control over the use of radio equipment, possibly related to its ambitions for a hot war in the Taiwan Strait. “Because it has always wanted to invade Taiwan and take unfriendly military actions against some neighboring countries, it is eager to prevent its military information from falling into the hands of other forces that uphold peace and justice.”