Shannon Brandao on LinkedIn: China’s Censorship Dragnet Targets Critics of the Economy
💯🏆New York Times [excerpt]: #China’s top intelligence agency issued an ominous warning last month about an emerging threat to the country’s…
LinkedInShannon Brandao

Shannon's excerpt from the article: "💯🏆New York Times [excerpt]: #China’s top intelligence agency issued an ominous warning last month about an emerging threat to the country’s #nationalsecurity: Chinese people who criticize the #economy.

In a series of posts on its official #WeChat account, the Ministry of State Security implored citizens to grasp President #XiJinping’s economic vision and not be swayed by those who sought to 'denigrate China’s economy' through 'false narratives.' To combat this risk, the ministry said, security agencies will focus on 'strengthening economic #propaganda and #publicopinion guidance.'

China is intensifying its crackdown while struggling to reclaim the dynamism and rapid economic growth of the past. Beijing has censored and tried to intimidate renowned #economists, #financialanalysts, #investmentbanks and #socialmedia #influencers for bearish assessments of the economy and the government’s policies. In addition, news articles about people experiencing financial struggles or the poor living standards for #migrant workers are being removed.

China has continued to offer a rosy outlook for the economy, noting that it beat its forecast for economic growth of 5 percent last year without resorting to risky, expensive stimulus measures. Beyond the numbers, however, its #financialindustry is struggling to contain enormous amounts of local government #debt, its #stockmarket is reeling and its #property sector is in crisis. China #Evergrande, the high-flying developer felled by over $300 billion in debt, was ordered into liquidation on Monday.

The new information campaign is wider in scope than the usual work of the government’s censors, who have always closely monitored online chatter about the economy. Their efforts now extend to mainstream economic commentary that was permitted in the past. The involvement of security agencies also underscores the ways in which #business and economic interests fall under Mr. Xi’s increasingly expansive view of what constitutes a threat to national security."

#news