In an article published on September 5th by “Shang Bao”, commentator Zhuo Ran pointed out that the grand military parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Putin, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un standing side by side, was described by the outside world as a showcase of the “Axis of Evil” displaying military strength. However, outside the parade grounds, the reality in China is one of economic downturn and hardship for the people. Hundreds of millions of Chinese are struggling under the pressure of social security and employment.
Zhuo Ran emphasized that starting from September 1st, the Chinese Communist Party aggressively pushed for social security collection, seen as the “last desperate struggle to drain the pond”. Historically, the downfall of dynasties often had two signs: a lavish display of military power and excessive taxation. Now, the Chinese Communist Party is walking down both paths simultaneously, and the collapse of its regime is only a matter of time.
The so-called “five insurances and one fund” may seem like a form of protection, but it is essentially a disguised head tax. The system operates on a “pay-as-you-go” basis, where those currently working support those who are retired. With an aging population, the risk of the fund being depleted ahead of schedule is increasing. In order to push the agenda forward, the CCP even resorts to court judgments and tax authorities, combined with household registration, credit investigation, and educational means to squeeze the populace entirely.
The article points out the blatant inequality within the system. Tens of millions of privileged individuals receive monthly retirement pensions ranging from 8,000 to 20,000 yuan, while migrant workers receive as little as a hundred yuan in retirement benefits, a difference of tens of times. This leaves young people lamenting that the money they contribute goes to support the privileged class, and whether they will live to see their own retirement is uncertain.
Zhuo Ran stated that China is already a high-tax burden country, and social security has become a trap of “selling dog meat while displaying sheep’s head”. In order to survive, businesses are forced to lay off employees, reduce salaries, or even close down. Massive strikes have erupted in places like Dongguan and Foshan. Some restaurants are even hiring elderly workers to avoid paying social security, reflecting the distorted and helpless state of society as a whole.
He believes that Xi Jinping’s obsession with the false rhetoric of “national rejuvenation” is the exterior false show of military strength in the grand parade, while mandatory social security is internal exploitation. One external, one internal, is precisely the “death knell” for the CCP regime’s collapse.