Today’s Focus: Beijing Military Parade Approaches, City on High Alert; Is TikTok “Stealing” Children’s Future? Experts Reveal Crisis Behind It; von der Leyen Encounters Flying Incident, EU Suspects “Related to Russia”.
As the September 3rd Beijing Military Parade approaches, the security measures in Beijing have been upgraded comprehensively, creating a tense atmosphere in the city as if it were in a state of war. Not only that, in recent times, there have been multiple distress calls on social media reporting a large number of dissidents being abducted and losing contact. Additionally, experts point out that although the CCP has not publicly disclosed the cost of the military parade, according to intelligence from Taiwan’s national security units, the CCP has spent over 36 billion RMB on this parade. Some commentators argue that in the current economic downturn where people are struggling, the CCP’s extravagant spending is akin to a revelry before doomsday.
This year marks the second “Anti-War Military Parade” since Xi Jinping came to power, and rehearsals have already been conducted three times. Each rehearsal involved tens of thousands of participants, demonstrating a grand scale. In response, Chen Yu-chung, Deputy Commissioner of Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, stated on September 1st that based on media and relevant unit intelligence, the actual cost of the Beijing military parade is estimated to exceed 36 billion RMB.
In order to smoothly conduct the military parade, security in Beijing has been ramped up. Currently, security checks at Beijing’s streets, subway stations, and train stations have been significantly strengthened. Upon entering Beijing Railway Station, passengers are subjected to multiple checkpoints and mandatory bag inspections. Armed police are stationed throughout the station, rows of soldiers are present in the subway cars, and military police with guard dogs stand at the subway car doors, closely monitoring every passenger as if facing a formidable enemy.
Beijing resident Zhou Zheng told Epoch Times that Beijing no longer allows drones to fly, Chang’an Street has been sealed off, subway security has noticeably intensified, and Tiananmen Station is directly “shut down”, preventing passengers from entering or exiting. From September 2nd to 3rd, key scenic spots such as Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City were closed, with restrictions on flow along Chang’an Street. Certain stations on Subway Lines 1, 2, and 4 temporarily stopped services, and taxi pick-ups and drop-offs were prohibited within the Second Ring Road.
Zhou Zheng added that some tourists who wanted to witness the military parade in Beijing cannot even get close, with some attractions being closed. Places like the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square are inaccessible, as they require entry to Tiananmen Square. Previously, visitors needed security checks to enter, but now they are completely closed off and inaccessible.
Beijing resident Li Chun mentioned that entering Beijing Railway Station now feels like entering a military base, with tall iron fences on the outside requiring passing through four or five checkpoints. When reaching the final checkpoint, all bags are required to be opened and inspected layer by layer, whether it’s tissues or underwear, everything is thoroughly checked.
He noted, “Beijing is on high alert now; it’s better not to go out if unnecessary. The subway compartments have almost no passengers, but there are many police officers, with police dogs, intimidating the public and not allowing them to speak or move out of turn, having to obediently follow their orders.”
While Beijing enhances its security measures, a significant number of dissidents have been reported being abducted or missing. On the internet, numerous calls for help have surfaced.
For instance, Hubei dissident Chen Xingzhi was intercepted and brought back by local authorities at the Jingzhou Railway Station in Hubei on August 31st. To prevent his “escape”, six people were arranged to guard him.
On the night of August 30th, Tianjin dissident Yang Huiqin was taken away by the police in her rental house in Beijing and was sent to Jiujingzhuang. She sent a distress message at the Ruijing Police Station, where the station head said she would be taken to Beichen Hospital or Beichen Traditional Chinese Hospital for a physical examination. She appealed for friends to pay attention!
On the morning of August 30th, Chengdu dissident Chen Jian was kidnapped by a group of unidentified individuals outside the Wangjing Fragrant River community in Xiahua District, Zhangjiakou City, Hebei. He urgently issued a distress call, “Please help report to the police.”
Jiangsu dissident Li Xiaoyan attracted the authorities’ attention for supporting visitor Zhang Yuebing, who was hospitalized due to beatings by “stability maintenance personnel” in a WeChat group. On the afternoon of August 31st, the local government received orders from higher-ups to “supervise her”. As soon as Li Xiaoyan stepped out, she was surrounded by a dozen burly men, preventing her from leaving.
On August 29th, Xu Zhaolan from Jiangxi reported that “At around 8 pm on August 28th, a person claiming to be Deputy Chief Wang from the Yancun Police Station in Beijing hypocritically visited my residence, instructing me to stay safe and calling 110 immediately if someone comes to break or smash the door tomorrow.”
She stated, “In fact, the local authorities in Jiangxi have colluded with the Beijing police to entrap me because I have refused to accept the so-called ‘difficulty relief subsidy’ three times, totaling 32,000 RMB. Since the afternoon of August 29th, if you can’t hear me talking in the group, it means that I am being controlled by corrupt individuals.”
Guizhou retired university professor Huang Chun, who has been under house arrest for a long time, has also recently gone missing. Dissidents have claimed, “Lost again! It’s like this every sensitive day, and this time is no exception.”
On August 29th, Tangshan Luantian rights activist Liu Guizhong was illegally confined at home by local authorities, and his wife was taken away by the local police station with an unknown situation. He said, “Both of us have not engaged in any illegal activities, just advocating for rights according to the law and regulations. We hope kind rights activists can help spread this and report to the police.”
On the afternoon of August 28th, dissident Sun Airong and her son went missing; on August 27th, Zhang Yaqin, a first-degree disabled dissident in Changling County, Songyuan City, Jilin Province, went missing. Dissidents familiar with her posted, “Zhang Yaqin was kidnapped and detained by the former No. 7 Town government and hired social idle personnel. Please pay attention!”
On August 30th, the Taiwan chapter of Amnesty International held a seminar on “From Anxiety to Infiltration: How TikTok Harms Our Children’s Mental Health and Information Security.” Several experts gathered together, raising concerns that are causing significant worry in society.
First, let’s hear from Liu Lijunda, the Director of Legislation and Policy at the Taiwan branch of Amnesty International.
Liu Lijunda pointed out that TikTok has over a billion users worldwide, mainly consisting of teenagers. However, the problem lies in TikTok’s algorithm, which is very “aggressive”. Just after 20 minutes of usage, users are exposed to a lot of self-harm and suicide-related content. What’s more frightening is that TikTok is designed to be addictive, causing children to “constantly scroll”. He added that the addictive design includes infinite scrolling, precise targeting, intermittent rewards, comparison of likes, which create habitual loops in children’s minds, leading them to be trapped. Meanwhile, TikTok excessively collects user data, from posts, likes, to dwell time, scrolling speed, and even user emotional responses, all meticulously recorded. This not only leads to addiction but also highly invades privacy.
Liu Lijunda emphasized that human privacy includes three elements: freedom from intrusion, information control, and identity space. However, these are nearly completely deprived on TikTok’s platform. In other words, users are not only “being watched” but also “being manipulated”.
Researcher Eric Hsu from the Taiwan Democracy Lab provided another perspective, stating that TikTok’s diverse, rapidly updated content and precise algorithms captivate teenagers. Moreover, there is another issue that cannot be underestimated, which is that the CCP is quietly conducting united front work through TikTok. Studies show that many Taiwanese teenagers are influenced on TikTok, leading to feelings of powerlessness regarding cross-strait issues, thinking that Taiwan cannot resist a military invasion by the CCP, or even holding a more positive view of the CCP. This subtle united front effect will make users lean towards the CCP more and even cast doubt on Taiwan’s democratic system.
Eric Hsu pointed out that the TikTok platform is filled with bullying, misogyny, underage nudity, sexual exploitation images, and scams, among other content. Even using an account as bait to guide traffic through Linktree, directing users to the Patreon platform to sell private images, engaging in private chat nude chats, and scamming through sexual image extortion. Additionally, it involves a scam industry chain, including online gambling, job hunting, and investment frauds.
Psychologist Li Jiongde specially warned that prolonged immersion in short videos makes teenagers prone to addiction, decreased memory, lack of sleep, and may even trigger psychological problems such as depression, anxiety, and anger. Furthermore, due to prolonged immersion in the internet, teenagers reduce interactions with friends in real life, leading to potential social disorders.
Since TikTok poses such a threat, how should parents guide their children? Li Jiongde suggested that parents should act as the “gardeners” of their children, not the “carpenters”. This means parents should accompany their children’s growth, help them establish correct values, and emotional coordination skills to prevent children from being molded arbitrarily by social media platforms.
Secretary-General Zhou Yachun of Taiwan’s “Can’t Teach Kids to Act Alliance” added that there needs to be more communication and trust between parents and children to establish appropriate internet usage regulations.
Lastly, Liu Lijunda appealed to all parties to pay attention to the dangers of TikTok while making three demands:
First, parents and children should negotiate network usage rules together;
Second, urge the government and legislators to enact stricter digital platform management regulations;
Third, invite more people to join in signing petitions to demand TikTok address these issues.
According to reports by media like the Financial Times, the EU confirmed on Monday (September 1st) that Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, flew to Bulgaria on a private jet. Unexpectedly, while approaching the “Plovdiv” airport, the plane’s GPS navigation suddenly failed. The pilot was temporarily unable to rely on satellite positioning, instead resorting to ground navigation systems, and even had to use a paper map to guide the landing. During this time, the plane circled in the air for nearly an hour but eventually landed safely.
Bulgarian authorities suspect this incident is related to Russia. An EU spokesperson confirmed that the plane did indeed encounter GPS interference and suggested that the Russian side might be behind it.
However, Russia has denied these accusations, with the Kremlin spokesperson stating: “These allegations are not true.”
It’s worth noting that von der Leyen’s trip this time involved visiting EU member countries bordering Russia. She arrived in Bulgaria on August 31st to inspect the country’s arms industry, which has led to speculation about the incident being related to her itinerary.
In fact, such GPS interferences are not new in Europe. An EU spokesperson noted that Russia has long been using interference and deception tactics to disrupt satellite positioning, not only targeting military objectives but also affecting civil aviation and even citizens’ daily lives. Earlier this year, 13 EU member countries jointly wrote to the EU, pointing out that GPS interference could lead to aviation accidents.
German Armed Forces Director General Eberhard Broil revealed that he was subject to similar interferences twice during exercises in the Baltic Sea and Lithuania, with one incident involving Russian reconnaissance aircraft activity nearby. He bluntly stated that Russia is “testing NATO’s response”.
Allegedly, as a former “satellite” state of the Soviet Union, Bulgaria’s provision of a large amount of weapons to Ukraine during the Russia-Ukraine war deeply angered Russia.
The EU emphasizes that this incident serves as a reminder: Europe must accelerate defense investments, firmly support Ukraine, and resist Russian aggression.