An important milestone in the PRC government’s restriction of political speech on Tencent’s WeChat (微信) and other social media platforms, the “Seven Bottom Lines” mandates the political allegiance of all users, stating that anyone posting publicly on these platforms must ensure their posts “forge an online patriotic culture, with the soul of online culture resting on the national interest” ? an…

First introduced by Xi Jinping at the third session of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection on January 8, 2024, these nine principles are meant to encapsulate the basic means toward “self-revolution within the Party” (?的自我革命), a phrase closely linked with the fight against corruption, but ultimately exposing Xi’s anti-corruption efforts as fundamentally about the preservation o…

“Going into battle lightly equipped” is a metaphor frequently employed by Hong Kong’s political leaders and state media in the lead-up to new national security legislation known as Article 23 in early 2024. It represents the promise that further curbs on local freedoms will empower authorities to revitalize the territory’s anemic economy, which has been on the ropes since the national security crackdown began in 2020.