International | These women who make Beijing tremble

The case of Peng Shuai, a Chinese tennis player who came under heavy pressure after accusing a senior Chinese Communist Party of rape, is indicative of the attitude of the Chinese government.

Marie Lamensch
Researcher at the Observatory of Multidimensional Conflicts and at the Observatory of Geopolitics of the Raoul-Dandurand Chair of UQAM *

While in Quebec and around the world, the #metoo movement continues to make waves, in China, the noose is tightening on feminism. The case of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai – who came under heavy pressure after accusing a senior Chinese Communist Party (CCP) of rape – highlights both the feminist movement in China and the authoritarian tactics of the government of that country.

Spokesmen for the Chinese regime, diplomats and even those in charge of the mainstream media have demonstrated how well the Chinese propaganda and censorship system is put together: everything has been done to dismantle the history propagated by sports. On Western social media, the posts were meticulously choreographed, with their instigators even going so far as to use the International Olympic Committee for sharing videos and photos. On Chinese territory, where citizens do not have access to Twitter and Facebook, twenty minutes were enough for the censors to serve the charges of the player of platforms like Weibo. According to New York Times, hundreds of words more or less related to this sensitive subject have been banned altogether. Although Chinese internet users are full of creativity to thwart censorship, Beijing’s tactics were particularly combative.

The case of Peng Shuai is thus revealing of the attitude of the Chinese government towards any mobilization which, according to him, would call into question its legitimacy and, consequently, the stability of the country. This is why, for years, feminist movements have paid the price for this rigid policy.

However, despite the risks of publicly opposing the CCP and loudly proclaiming demands, the feminist movement has acted for a long time, combating the disparities caused by very unequal economic fallout. While Mao seemed to advocate gender equality, Xi Jinping emphasizes patriarchal values. The world of work continues to discriminate against women, domestic violence is common and sexual harassment is widespread, including on college campuses and workplaces. When it comes to gender inequalities, China does poorly.

Since the early 2010s, women of the new generation have been demanding more rights and equality, both online and offline. But the arrival of Xi Jinping to power in 2013 made this task complicated. Poorly tolerating these demands, the government struck a blow on March 6, 2015, arresting several young feminist activists who were planning actions denouncing sexual abuse: 5 of them were detained for 37 days for “provocations and disturbances to” public order, ”a crime frequently cited to silence dissent in China. Far from curbing its momentum, this event was a real springboard for the feminist movement: some of these young women are still mobilized today.

In 2017, the #metoo movement in the United States instilled courage in many Chinese women, who, like their American sisters, denounce the sexual harassment and inequalities of which they are victims. However, in China we are dealing with a more popular movement, with a convergence of various feminist movements. This activism is of course viewed with a dim view by Beijing, which opposes any social movement that defies the rhetoric and the hegemonic position of the Party.

Whether it concerns Hong Kong, the Uyghurs or the COVID-19 virus, the CCP wants to silence any dissenting voices, especially on social media where the news is spreading like wildfire.

To do this, Chinese censors have long banned hashtags like #metoo, and many accounts of influential young women on the networks have been deleted by Weibo, Douban and other platforms.

But other techniques of control and oppression are emerging. One of them consists in collaborating with nationalist and misogynist Internet users, too happy to attack young women claimants. By means of “doxxing” and “trolling”¹ on Weibo, Kuaishou or Douyin (TikTok), they attack the reputation of those who dare to speak, dragging them through the mud. This cyberstalking aims to force feminist activists into self-censorship. In addition, like on Twitter and Facebook, hate messages and misogyny are rarely sidelined because, easily generating clicks, they are lucrative.

This growing coordination between Chinese censors, certain Internet users and platforms therefore benefits everyone… except women and freedom of expression in general.

The ultimate goal of this cyberbullying, carried out in the name of law and order, as well as patriarchy, is to isolate members of the feminist movement and to attack the very nature of social media: the formation of communities of support. However, it is crucial for victims of sexual abuse to be able to express themselves and be heard: this is the very essence of the #metoo movement, which allows victims to no longer be alone. Will they be able, despite the strategies of the Chinese regime, to make themselves heard?

Closer than you think

The Peng Shuai affair and the growing authoritarianism in China under the presidency of Xi Jinping directly concern Quebeckers. Indeed, the censorship and propaganda deployed by Beijing and its acolytes on Chinese and Western social networks are emblematic of a regime that increasingly wishes to extend its influence in foreign countries. From a human point of view, it is also essential to open our eyes to these practices and to be concerned about the plight of Chinese activists, whose goal is simply to achieve a little more equality and end. to sexual abuse and violence against women in their country.

1. “Doxxing” consists of collecting personal information about a person and then publishing it on the Internet, for malicious purposes. Trolling aims to intentionally create controversy.

* The author is also a project coordinator at the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies at Concordia University