It is ‘Global Village Today’ that delivers major news from various countries around the world.
Host) What news do you have today?
Reporter) Yes. Protests once morest the government’s strict corona quarantine policy continued for the second day in major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, the capital of China. There were also voices calling for the resignation of President Xi Jinping. Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen resigned as party chairman following the defeat in local elections.
Host) Global Village Today, this is the first news. There were big protests all over the new Chinese city over the weekend?
Reporter) Yes. For two days on Saturday and Sunday, large-scale demonstrations protesting the government’s strict corona quarantine policy took place in various places, including the capital Beijing, the second city of Shanghai, and the southern metropolis of Guangzhou. In the midst of this, there was also an incident in Shanghai where a British ‘BBC’ reporter who was covering the scene was taken away by the public security and released.
Moderator) Isn’t it very unusual for protests like this to take place in China?
Reporter) Yes. The protest was sparked by a fire in an apartment building in Urumqi, Xinjiang, in the northwest of China. Urumqi Autonomous Region has been closed since last August due to corona quarantine. Meanwhile, on the 24th, a fire broke out in an apartment building, killing 10 people and injuring 9 others. Since then, claims that the authorities have not been able to extinguish in time due to blockade and have increased human casualties spread rapidly on social media. Starting with Urumqi the next day (26th), protests quickly spread to various areas such as Shanghai and Beijing. Protests also took place at universities such as Peking University and Tsinghua University.
Moderator) China has been taking super-strong corona quarantine measures for nearly 3 years now, right?
Reporter) Yes. President Xi Jinping has adhered to the so-called ‘Zero-Covid’ policy of not allowing a single corona infection. Accordingly, in the event of a corona infection, ultra-high-intensity quarantine measures have been taken, such as sealing the entire region. Although there have been some signs of easing recently, this protest is interpreted as an explosion of complaints from residents who are tired of the authorities’ strong quarantine measures.
Moderator) How was the atmosphere at the protest site?
Reporter) Yes. Videos and photos of the protests have been posted on social media. It was pretty intense. In the Urumqi region, angry citizens destroyed a simple bus stop and confronted the public security, and tension reached its peak. There were also voices in Shanghai calling for the resignation of President Xi Jinping. But most say, “We don’t want to wear masks. I don’t want to do a corona test. We want freedom.” On the other hand, some citizens protested with blank papers without any slogans written on them.
Moderator) What does the white paper mean?
Reporter) It is being read to mean resisting the censorship of the authorities. This blank protest also appeared when a large-scale protest once morest the National Security Law took place in Hong Kong in 2020. Currently, videos and photos uploaded to Chinese social media are being deleted one following another. However, another video was immediately uploaded and conveyed the local situation. Chinese authorities blocked foreign social media such as YouTube and Twitter and strengthened censorship, but it spread through virtual private network ‘VPN’ bypass access method. At the protest site, many people were caught holding mobile phones and filming videos.
Host) Have there been any physical clashes with the police?
Reporter) Yes. Scenes of verbal abuse, physical fights, and beatings were caught in the process of police dispersing protesters everywhere. According to eyewitnesses, many people were arrested by the police. However, it is not known how many people have been arrested. In the midst of this, in Shanghai, there was an incident in which Ed Lawrence, a British BBC reporter, was arrested and released by the police yesterday (27th) while covering the protest scene. Videos posted on social media and YouTube show several Chinese police officers dragging a handcuffed reporter very roughly. Citizens nearby shouted for him to be freed.
Host) Is Reporter Lawrence released now?
Reporter) Yes. ‘BBC’ says Lawrence has been held in police custody for several hours and has been released. The ‘BBC’ also complained that while in captivity, police officers beat Lawrence with his hands and feet, saying Lawrence was working there as a licensed journalist. ‘Archyde.com’ news agency also reported yesterday (27th) that its reporter was caught by the police and released following 90 minutes.
What is the position of the Chinese government on this?
Reporter) Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at a regular briefing today (28th) avoided giving specific answers to the protests or the demands of the protesters. However, the Chinese government’s zero corona policy is absolutely necessary at this point and will continue. He stressed that China will surely win the fight once morest the virus with the cooperation and support of the entire people.
Moderator) Did you mention the arrest of a BBC journalist?
Reporter) Yes. Spokesperson Zhao said that the reporter did not reveal his identity as a reporter and did not voluntarily present his reporter’s ID. He added that foreign reporters must follow Chinese laws and regulations while in China.
Host) How is the mood today (28th)?
Reporter) Yes. Until this morning, there were no signs of new protests in major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. In the case of Shanghai, two-person public security is strengthening the vigilance. Police cars and motorcycles are patrolling the streets from time to time. ‘Archyde.com’ reported that some shops and cafes were asked to close, citing local staff.
Presenter) Global Village Today, this time it’s news from Taiwan. Are there any major changes in Taiwan’s political situation?
Reporter) Yes. In the local elections held on the 25th, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (Democratic Party) suffered a crushing defeat and the main opposition party, the Nationalist Party, won a landslide victory, and Taiwan’s political world is shaken. President Tsai Ing-wen took responsibility for his electoral defeat and resigned from his post as party chairman.
Moderator) Shall we take a closer look at the election results?
Reporter) Yes. This election was an election to elect the heads of all 21 prefectures and cities. The candidates put forward by the “Democratic Progressive Party” led by President Tsai only won five places. On the other hand, the main opposition party, the People’s Party, won 13 seats. Independent candidates won two places, and another opposition People’s Party candidate won one place. For the remaining one, a separate election will be held next month due to the absence of one candidate.
Moderator) Wasn’t this local election considered an interim evaluation of the current government?
Reporter) Yes. Taiwan is facing a presidential election in 2024. Therefore, this election was read as an interim evaluation of President Tsai and the ruling party. However, with this crushing defeat, a rough road is expected for the Democratic Progressive Party, which is aiming to recreate the government in the presidential election next year. In particular, the fact that the result of this election is the worst since the founding of the Democratic Progressive Party in 1986 is a painful defeat for the Democratic Progressive Party.
Host) What was the factor that led to the defeat of the Democratic Progressive Party?
Reporter) Major media such as ‘AP’ and ‘Archyde.com’ cited experts’ analysis and evaluated that the ‘anti-China security’ card put forward by the Democratic Progressive Party did not work. In this election, the Democratic Progressive Party launched a strategy to appeal to the unity of the people once morest the Chinese threat. However, it is an analysis that failed due to public livelihood issues such as corona response and economy. There was also an observation that the psychology of check once morest the ruling party, which is usually seen in midterm elections, worked.
Moderator) On the other hand, the National Party did a great job, right?
Reporter) Yes. The National Party, which lost in the last two presidential elections, is evaluated as having gained momentum to regain power in the 2024 presidential election with this victory. However, there is also an analysis that it is difficult to predict the next presidential election prematurely. The Kuomintang won a landslide victory in the local elections in 2018, but failed to prevent President Tsai from being re-elected in the presidential election. Meanwhile, in this election, Taiwan’s first president Chiang Kai-shek’s great-grandson candidate Zhang Wan-an won the election for the mayor of Taipei, drawing attention.
Moderator) President Tsai stepped down from the post of president of the Democratic Progressive Party?
Reporter) Yes. President Tsai held a press conference on the 26th, the day following the election, and said, “I will humbly accept the result and accept the decision of the Taiwanese people,” saying that he did not get the results he expected. Then he took responsibility for the electoral defeat and announced that he was stepping down as party president.
Moderator) Did you resign as party chairman with the next presidential election in mind?
Reporter) Yes. President Tsai began his second term in power in May 2020. He is bound by a clause barred from running for a third consecutive term and cannot run once more in the presidential elections. However, it seems to be a paving stone to maintain the regime by putting forward a new face of the party. On this day (26th), President Tsai stressed to his party members that they had no time to be obsessed with a sense of defeat, and that they had to rise once more. Tsai also dismissed calls from some for the party leadership to step down and take responsibility for the defeat.
Moderator) Who is on the lookout for the next party leader?
Reporter) Taiwanese media reported that former Legislative Yuan Chairman Su Jiaquan, Taiwan-Japan Relations Council Chairman, and Taoyuan Mayor Jeong Won-chan are being discussed as candidates for the Democratic Progressive Party. On the other hand, there is a story that President Tsai has chosen Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chimai as the acting president of the Democratic Progressive Party. Attention is also focusing on whether Mayor Chen Chi Mai will run for his next presidency.
Moderator) Yes. Global Village Today, I will listen to this.
