"In China, you could be arrested simply for chatting with someone, copying a map, or unintentionally taking a photo of a sensitive location,” said Dinah Gardner, research director at the human rights organization Safeguard Defenders.
[…]
Arbitrary Detention as a Political Tool
The report highlights that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) government is increasingly employing ‘arbitrary detention’ as a diplomatic leverage, particularly targeting citizens from Western nations. In recent years, numerous similar cases have surfaced, including the ‘Two Michaels’ incident in Canada (Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor), the case of British citizen Han Feilong, and the case involving Australian writer Yang Hengjun.
Cheng Lei’s partner, Koyle, discovered in August 2020 that Cheng Lei had suddenly gone missing; her phone was unreachable, and her social media accounts showed no updates.
‘Honestly, I wasn’t sure at first. I was the first to notice she was missing, and I contacted the embassy to inform them of her disappearance. I quickly realized she had been detained because her computer was missing, along with other signs,’ Koyle told Voice of America.
After realizing that Cheng Lei might have been detained, Koyle’s initial response was to identify the agency responsible for her detention. He mentioned that if it were the CCP’s Public Security Bureau (PSB), there might still be some official avenues to pursue action. However, upon discovering it was the CCP’s Ministry of State Security (MSS), he understood that the situation had become much more complex.
[…]
The report highlights that since Xi Jinping assumed power […] China has not only gradually closed its doors to foreigners but has also increasingly ‘brazenly detained foreigners for political reasons,’ ‘pressuring or punishing foreign governments.’ Such detentions have been integrated into the national security framework that China is increasingly emphasizing, particularly following the 2023 revision of the Anti-Espionage Law enacted in 2014, along with the revision of the National Secrets Law in May 2024, leading to a sharp rise in the number of foreigners detained on espionage charges in China.
As are you. As is OP, who apparently has lots of time to devote to it.
Or perhaps you enjoy subscribing to the “China” forum and getting nothing but hit pieces against China, day in day out, by a single user with an obvious agenda? I’m having trouble believing that.
To any others who might be reading this (all two or three of you) and thinking that I’m overreacting, please spend a few seconds perusing the articles that OP has posted to this (otherwise empty) community. EVERY SINGLE ONE of them is negative downer news about China. And then OP mentions the word “unbiased” with a straight face.
It’s embarrassing. New users are going to take one look at that archive and see that this is obviously no place for “genuine news and discussion” about China, it seems to be the private blog of someone who hates China. It’s boring and it’s hurting the chances of this community to succeed at its (supposed) mission.
I just don’t think the solution is complaining or getting rid of negative news. Some people enjoy doomscrolling and negative news can be very important. The solution is to post positive news as well, which is what anyone with the right knowledge can do. Unfortunately, I lack the knowledge, so I’ll always be just a lurker here, but I believe there are other people capable of providing some balace.