Open October 16, 2022, October 20e congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) must ratify, except (huge) surprise, a third mandate for Xi Jinping.
A continuity that does not please several protest movements that use AirDrop to escape censorship.
Faced with repression, AirDrop is a limited parade
If you are familiar with iPhones, iPads and other Macs, AirDrop is bound to tell you something. For others, perhaps you have already heard of this particularly practical system for transmitting files between Apple machines. Because this is the latest strategy found by opponents of Chinese power to raise awareness of their cause for those who cross their path.
The problem is that AirDrop induces physical proximity so that the two devices can communicate effectively, ideally within 2 meters. Even more, this technique remains limited to the only holders of Apple devices, but it allows an ever more muzzled Chinese opposition to be (a little) heard. Many images, which you can consult on the Instagram account of the CitizenDaily China movement (@CitizenDailyCN) reflect a rejection of the President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping.
As the second term of the Head of State comes to an end, a constitutional amendment ratified in March 2018 allows Xi Jinping to run for a third term, and more if he wishes. Opened five days ago, 20e congress of the PCC leaves few doubts as to an outcome other than that of keeping the incumbent president, to the chagrin of his detractors.
Chinese government goes so far as to censor the word “bridge”
At the origin of the latest disputes is Peng Lifa, a 48-year-old man nicknamed “the bridge man”. On October 14, two banners, hostile to Xi Jinping, were deployed by the latter on a Beijing bridge. It was enough for words such as “courage” and “bridge” to be censored, as well as posts on social networks and private messages referring to this incident.
AirDrop constitutes an invisible means of struggle for the radars of the government, unless, by misfortune, one of the opponents communicates these protesting clichés to a sympathizer of the CCP who would denounce him. Questioned by the international edition of Vice, an anonymous Shanghai resident was surprised when, in the subway, a device called “Xi Jinping’s iPhone” wanted to send him a file by AirDrop. His curiosity pushed him to accept, and he received the protesting image: ” This is the first time that I have received a file criticizing the regime, in all media. Verbal criticism is common, unlike criticism of this nature. »
If the movement flourishes in many universities around the world, more than 250 according to Citizen Daily China, the risks incurred by propagators in China are immense, ranging from prison to deprivation of visits to their relatives to the end of their days. For the moment, it is difficult to quantify the extent of the number of protesters of the regime in China, while Xi Jinping does not seem ready to give up his chair.
Source : Vice
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