Wall Street Journal: Newly Created National Security Commission Likely to Focus on Domestic Security

Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Andrew Erickson and William McCahill argue that recent political developments and official pronouncements indicate that China’s new National Security Commission will focus primarily on maintaining state security and social stability in order to promote economic growth. Chinese Communist Party officials often speak of “maintaining social stability” as a euphemism for vigorously suppressing dissent.

NYT Journalist to be Deported from China

The Chinese government will reportedly refuse to approve a visa application filed by New York Times journalist Austin Ramzy, which means he will be effectively deported from China by the end of the week. Contrary to Chinese government statements, the NYT claims it followed appropriate procedures in submitting Ramzy’s visa application.

Censorship

Xu Zhiyong Sentenced to Four Years

The Beijing Intermediate People’s Court sentenced lawyer and civil society activist Xu Zhiyong to four years in prison for “gathering a crowd to disrupt public order.” The charges leveled against Xu stem from the pivotal role he played in organizing the New Citizens Movement, a loose collection of activists that has sought to develop Chinese civil society and urged Communist Party officials to publicly disclose their wealth.

"Speedy Trials” to Replace Re-education-Through-Labor in Guangzhou

The city of Guangzhou, the sprawling capital of Guangdong province, announced the creation of “speedy trials” to try defendants who previously would have been incarcerated in re-education-through-labor camps. Until the system was formally abolished last year, police had the authority to incarcerate individuals in re-education-through-labor camps for up to four years without presenting any evidence of wrongdoing.

Thousands Protest Land Seizures in Fujian

Several thousand people gathered in the coastal town of Quanzhou, Fujian province to protest the confiscation of their farmland. One protester claimed that farmers had not received a penny in compensation for their land. Another villager claimed that farmers had only received 900 Yuan ($150) in compensation for their plots.

Activists, Petitioners, and Journalists Harassed and Detained at Trial of Xu Zhiyong

The Chinese government dispatched ten busloads of police to harass and detain activists, petitioners, and journalists who gathered outside of Beijing’s Number One Intermediate People’s Court during the trial of Xu Zhiyong, a prominent lawyer and activist. Chen Yunfei, a Sichuan-based activist who was detained by police for gathering outside the court, claimed that several hundred police and plainclothes state security officials lined the streets of the intersection outside of the court.