In China, one absolutely cannot be too opinionated, or risk being suppressed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). In just the past two years, there have been more than ten cases of Chinese intellectuals being targeted. This demonstrates that in China, personal viewpoints are not tolerated; everything must follow the leadership of the “Party.” Once someone becomes too active or expresses personal opinions, they are highly likely to be targeted and silenced by the authorities. Below are several illustrative cases:
- Chinese Scholar Targeted for Criticizing CCP’s Response to US Tariffs
When the Chinese government took a tough stance in response to the US’s “reciprocal tariffs,” the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) Institute of Economics announced yesterday the dissolution of the “CASS Center for Public Policy Research.” Prior to this, scholar He Bin from the center was found posting on social media, criticizing China’s countermeasures of imposing equivalent tariffs. On the 6th, the Institute of Economics published a statement on its website announcing the official dissolution of the Center for Public Policy Research as of the 2nd, in accordance with internal management regulations. The center’s website and platforms were shut down on the 6th, and its WeChat public account was deactivated. The statement emphasized that the center was a non-entity research group without independent legal status or physical assets. Future research projects will be managed by the Institute of Economics, part-time researchers will return to their original departments, and external hires will have their contracts lawfully terminated, with all external expert collaborations automatically ended. - Chinese Economist Silenced for Questioning GDP Figures
Economist Gao Shanwen was silenced after questioning the accuracy of China’s GDP growth rates for the past three years in early December last year. In mid-December, he again raised doubts about China’s GDP figures at a forum in Washington, D.C., which reportedly infuriated CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping, who ordered an investigation and disciplinary action against Gao. According to the Wall Street Journal, the forum was co-hosted by the Peterson Institute for International Economics and a Chinese think tank on December 12, 2024. At the time, Gao was the chief economist at China International Capital Corporation. Insiders revealed that Gao’s two public statements at the forum angered Xi Jinping. One of his comments was: “We do not know the true numbers of China’s real economic growth,” and “My own guess is that the actual average annual GDP growth rate over the past two to three years may be around 2%, although the official figure is close to 5%.” This directly questioned the reliability of China’s economic data. - Intellectuals Silenced for Discussing China’s Stock Market
Recently, private equity fund manager Dan Bin and celebrity economist Ren Zeping engaged in a heated online dispute over their differing views on the A-shares market. Reports indicate that because the argument escalated and touched on political themes such as “patriotism,” both individuals were subsequently silenced. According to public records, Ren Zeping received his Ph.D. in economics from Renmin University of China in 2007, joined the Development Research Center of the State Council at the end of 2009, and served as deputy director of the Macroeconomic Research Office. In December 2017, he became chief economist at Evergrande Group (which has since been ordered into liquidation by a Hong Kong court). Since early last year, he has served as chief economist at Zhongyuan Bank.