China raises censorship to ‘emergency’ level as it cracks down on wave of protests

Chinese authorities have initiated the highest “emergency response” level of censorship, according to leaked directives – including a crackdown on VPNs and other methods of encryption that are used to bypass online censors – after unprecedented protests against the zero-Covid policy.

This suppression, including the tracking and questioning of protesters, has been taking place alongside the easing of pandemic restrictions in an apparent carrot-and-stick approach to public grievances.

During an extraordinary week in China, protests against zero-Covid restrictions included criticism of the authoritarian rule of Xi Jinping, which was further highlighted by the death of the former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin.

Leaked directives issued to online platforms, first published by a Twitter account devoted to sharing protestrelated information, have revealed authorities’ concerns about citizens’ growing interest in circumventing China’s so-called “Great Firewall”.

The demonstrations have been strictly censored, but protesters and others have this week turned to VPNs – virtual private networks, used to anonymise internet users – to access foreign news and social media apps that are banned in China.

The directives, also published and translated by the China Digital Times, a US-based news site focused on Chinese censorship, came from Beijing’s cyberspace administration, and announced a “level 1 internet emergency response, the highest level of content management”.

They ordered managers to take a “hands-on approach” and strengthen content management to rapidly identify, deal with and report information about what were termed “offline disturbances” and “recent high-profile events in various provinces”.

“The incident on 24 November triggered expressions of various grievances,” the directives said, according to CDT’s translation and in reference to a fire at a residential building in Ürümqi that killed 10 people. “Pernicious political slogans appeared in Shanghai; college and university students held conspicuous political gatherings; smears by foreign media increased; and various websites have strengthened their content management.”

They noted upcoming dates during which managers should take particular care, including the oneweek anniversary of the fire. They also ordered e-commerce platforms to “clean up” the availability of products and apps and “harmful content” designed to circumvent internet restrictions, such as VPNs and firewall-circumventing routers.

Protesters and residents who want to air grievances have been playing a cat-and-mouse game with censors this week. The death of 96-year-old Jiang, announced on Wednesday, provided one avenue for some to creatively express dissatisfaction with Xi. More than 500,000 commenters flooded state broadcaster CCTV’s post on the Twitter-like platform Weibo within an hour of the death being announced, many referring to him as “Grandpa Jiang”.

“Toad, we blamed you wrongly before; you’re the ceiling, not the floor,” said one since-censored comment using a popular, mildly affectionate nickname for Jiang, for his frog-like face and quirky mannerisms. In retirement, he was the subject of lighthearted memes among younger Chinese fans, who called themselves “toad worshippers”.

On Thursday, hundreds of people gathered in Jiang’s home town in the eastern city of Yangzhou to pay their respects, leaving bouquets round the perimeter of his former residence.

Lockdowns have lifted in major cities this week, even where relatively high case numbers are still being reported. Testing and quarantine requirements have also been relaxed in some areas, adding to expectations of a shift in national policies. Some communities in Beijing and elsewhere have already allowed close contacts of people carrying the virus to quarantine at home, and several testing booths in the area have stopped operating. But the haphazard relaxation of restrictions appears to have fuelled confusion, with residents suddenly feeling more exposed to a virus that, until this week, authorities were describing as deadly.

In recent days, there has been a distinct shift in messaging from officials and state media regarding the pandemic. Officials appear to have stopped or at least reduced referencing the “dynamic zero-Covid” policy by name. The lower severity of Omicron compared with previous virus strains is being publicly discussed and emphasised for the first time.

Commentaries in the official state news outlet Xinhua yesterday urged greater individual responsibility around mask-wearing, hand washing, ventilation and reduced gatherings. They also emphasised the need to protect vulnerable groups, and for local authorities to be faster at reopening targeted lockdowns.

“Given that risks can be managed, what should be managed must be managed well, and there should also be relaxation when appropriate,” it said, according to a translation by the China analyst Bill Bishop.