Chinese Communist Party Congress affords another step for Xi Jinping’s consolidation of power
TAIPEI, Taiwan — In coming days, Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to further cement his standing as the Communist Party’s most powerful leader in decades. But last week, a flicker of dissent appeared in China’s capital.
Two banners had been hung on an overpass Thursday amid a column of smoke in Beijing’s northern Haidian district. One called for students and workers to strike and oust Xi, labeling him a traitor to his country.
The other condemned life in China during his 10 years as the party’s general secretary. “We want food not COVID tests, reform not Cultural Revolution, freedom not lockdowns, votes not leaders, dignity not lies, to be citizens not slaves,” it read.
Images of the banners circulated on the Chinese internet before social media censors quickly removed the offending posts.
The rare protest in a nation where ubiquitous surveillance and censorship work in tandem to swiftly crush political opposition was all the more remarkable for its timing, just ahead of
