CCP’s NPC Closes: Dissidents Say "Knife Handle" Stability Measures at Their Strongest in Years

On March 5, 2023, CCP leaders attended the opening session of the National People's Congress.

[People News] The National People’s Congress (NPC) of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) concluded on Tuesday (March 11), with nearly 3,000 delegates passing seven resolutions in just 30 minutes. Overseas democracy activists have pointed out that the week-long proceedings lacked any significant opposition, once again highlighting the CCP’s "rubber stamp" democracy and the extreme stability measures enforced by the regime. A Chinese dissident who was placed under "forced travel" told Voice of America that he was escorted on a nearly two-week-long trip by seven state security officers, a show of force so excessive that even hotel staff were shocked.

The closing ceremony of the 14th NPC was held at 3 PM on Tuesday, attended by top CCP leaders, including party leader Xi Jinping. However, NPC Chairman Zhao Leji was absent due to a "respiratory infection," and the session was presided over instead by Vice Chairman Li Hongzhong.

With 2,884 representatives present and 45 absent, all seven resolutions—including the government work report, the 2024 budget execution plan, the 2025 budget proposal, and the Supreme People's Court work report—were approved in just 24 minutes, with each vote taking no more than four minutes on average.

Throughout the week-long NPC session, proceedings went smoothly with virtually no dissenting voices. CCP-controlled media overwhelmingly praised "Chinese-style democracy," while sharp political critiques were noticeably absent.

Heightened Stability Measures During the Two Sessions

Analysts attribute this lack of opposition not only to the NPC’s well-known role as a "rubber stamp" body but also to the CCP’s long-standing and increasingly aggressive stability measures. Even before the meetings began, dissidents and petitioners across the country were closely monitored, forced to leave Beijing, placed under surveillance, or put under house arrest.

One dissident, who requested anonymity due to security concerns, privately told Voice of America that he was taken out of town on February 28 and would only be allowed to return after the NPC's conclusion on March 12—nearly two weeks in total.

He described his experience, saying that a local police instructor and two stability maintenance officers, along with their family members and friends—seven people in total—escorted him under the guise of a "stability maintenance operation" that essentially turned into an all-expenses-paid trip. "They just had to upload a few official work photos each day to fulfill their duties," he said. "So, why not enjoy the trip?" However, he noted that the size of the escort team was unprecedented, even shocking a "like-minded Red Second Generation" hotel owner, who said he had never seen such a large-scale security operation before.

This dissident further observed that as China’s economy declines, social tensions are intensifying, and incidents of unrest are becoming more frequent. From struggling farmers left to fend for themselves to young people embracing a "lying flat" lifestyle, most ordinary citizens have little interest in the NPC, as it has no relevance to their daily struggles.

He lamented that the Two Sessions have long become mere political theater and that China’s authoritarian system inherently prevents any real democracy.

Another dissident, also speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the topic, told Voice of America that stability measures in Nanjing this year seemed "relatively calm," aside from stricter inspections on people entering and leaving Beijing. However, he agreed that the Two Sessions increasingly resemble a "film festival red carpet event," with little substance left. The cancellation of the premier’s press conference has made the event even less significant and further disconnected from the lives of ordinary citizens.

For example, he mentioned China’s centralized procurement of pharmaceuticals, which has led to widespread anger due to poor drug quality—reports have surfaced of anesthetics that fail to induce sleep and laxatives that don’t work. Yet, there was no discussion or proposals addressing these issues during the Two Sessions.

He also ridiculed last week’s government announcement that the "minimum basic pension for urban and rural residents will be increased by 20 yuan (approximately $2.80)." He remarked, "One meal for these officials and NPC delegates probably costs several times that amount—how can they even propose such a ridiculous increase with a straight face?"

Additionally, renowned Chinese journalist Gao Yu posted on X (formerly Twitter) on February 25, stating that since February 21, a group of "sensitive individuals" in Beijing—including herself—had already been placed under surveillance, and those expected to be "forcibly traveled" had been notified. Even the office of prominent human rights lawyer Mo Shaoping had been infiltrated by state security officers.

Since then, Gao Yu has not posted any further updates.

The Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) Expenditure on Stability Maintenance has Seen an Annual Increase of 7.3%

During a seminar in Taipei on Tuesday discussing the influence of the CCP's Two Sessions, Shen Youzhong, the Deputy Minister of the Mainland Affairs Council of Taiwan, expressed concerns about the CCP's increasingly stringent "knife handle" stability maintenance measures.

As stated in a press release from the council, Shen Youzhong noted that while the economic pressures facing the CCP have not alleviated, "military spending and public security expenditure (related to stability maintenance) have experienced significant growth rates of 7.2% and 7.3%, respectively, exceeding the GDP growth target of 5%." He emphasized that this underscores the CCP's ongoing efforts to strengthen the stability maintenance capabilities of its national security and legal systems, consolidating its one-party dominance through the "barrel of a gun" and the "knife handle." The scale of military spending expansion has particularly drawn the attention of neighboring countries and democratic nations worldwide.

According to the fiscal budget report released by the CCP last Wednesday (March 5), the CCP has allocated 1.784 trillion yuan (approximately 249.8 billion USD) for national defense this year, marking a 7.2% increase, consistent with last year's growth rate. Furthermore, public security expenditure, which pertains to stability maintenance, has risen by 7.3%, totaling 242.8 billion yuan.

In response to the escalating strength of the CCP's stability maintenance efforts, Zhang Xiaogang, a supervisor of the Australian branch of the Democratic China Alliance based in Sydney, remarked that the CCP routinely activates stability maintenance operations against dissenters during politically sensitive periods such as the Two Sessions and the June Fourth Incident. The ongoing stability maintenance initiatives over the years have created an industrial chain, with personnel from public security and national security relying on this sector for their livelihoods.

Zhang Xiaogang shares his personal experience, stating that he has been banned from entering China by the Chinese Communist authorities since 1998. However, he managed to enter the country later by changing his name. Despite this, he could not evade capture by national security personnel. He recounted that during this time, the national security officers were quite polite to him. They not only took him to a restaurant for a nice meal but also, while discussing the Tibet issue, bluntly told him that if he were to enter the country again, they could accompany him on a 'tour' to Tibet. This left Zhang Xiaogang with a strong impression that these national security personnel, under the pretext of maintaining stability, were openly engaging in corrupt practices and taking advantage of the situation, which he found appalling.

Zhang Xiaogang: Chinese-style Democracy is a 'Joke.'

Zhang Xiaogang further analyzed that the Chinese Communist Party operates as a dictatorship without any real democracy, and the Two Sessions are merely a 'rubber stamp' formality. He explained that the so-called Chinese-style democracy promoted by the Communist Party is actually modeled after Soviet-style democracy, which involves 'pretending to have a parliamentary system that resembles a parliament, but this system is entirely controlled and does not permit dissenting voices.' As a result, Chinese opposition figures who insist on speaking out must risk their lives.

He noted that during the reform and opening-up period, the Communist Party, in an effort to showcase a model of political reform, was somewhat more tolerant of dissenting voices, but this tolerance was limited to trivial matters that could not contradict the Party's major policies. A classic example of this is Huang Shunxing, a democratic figure from Taiwan.

Huang Shunxing, who previously served as the magistrate of Taitung County, relocated to China after visiting relatives in the United States in 1985, rising from a representative of the Taiwanese people to a position on the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.

According to Taiwanese media personality Qi Leyi, Huang Shunxing during his political career in the Communist Party 'remained true to his nature and spoke boldly without reservation.'

For instance, during the National People's Congress in April 1992, Huang Shunxing attempted to stand up and voice his opposition to the "Resolution on the Construction of the Three Gorges Project on the Yangtze River". However, he was either ignored by the conference chairman or had his microphone forcibly muted while trying to speak, which led him to express his silent protest by leaving the venue that day. The following year, he resigned from his position as a member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, effectively ending his political career in China.

Using Huang Shunxing's failure as an example, Zhang Xiaogang remarked that the Chinese Communist Party's recent overtures to young people in Taiwan, claiming to offer them a taste of "Chinese-style democracy", is nothing short of a major "joke".

Zhang Xiaogang told Voice of America: "Of course it's a joke! As a (Taiwanese) person living in a free society, how could you possibly yearn for a (Chinese) society that silences you and restricts your freedom of speech?"

Nevertheless, Zhang Xiaogang cautioned that one of Xi Jinping's ambitions is to unify Taiwan. Thus, before he is unable to launch a military attack on Taiwan, he will resort to soft infiltration tactics, attempting to weaken and undermine Taiwan's internal unity through ineffective calls for experiencing "Chinese-style democracy", employing both soft and hard approaches.

(Source: Voice of America)