Beijing Seeks to Suppress Public Grief of the Regime’s Former Premier

China's Premier Li Keqiang speaks during a news conference following the closing of the second session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, on March 20, 2018. Lintao Zhang/Getty Images

The body of the deceased Chinese former premier Li Keqiang arrived in Beijing on the evening of Oct. 27 and is now at a Chinese military hospital. The Chinese regime ramped up its security in the communist nation’s capital to prevent potential social unrest as a result of the public’s outpouring of grief. The atmosphere in Beijing is as if it is under martial law.

Although the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced that Mr. Li died of a heart attack, this has been under broad scrutiny by the Chinese public. Mr. Li fell from grace and was removed from his position at the top of the CCP earlier this year, which led to a lot of unproven speculation that his death may have been a political assassination. Many viewed Mr. Li as a moderate force within the CCP, as opposed to Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s fundamentalist communism and authoritarianism. Mr. Li’s former residence in Hefei, Anhui province, was surrounded by a sea of flowers, but no large-scale memorial activities were reported in Beijing due to the strict censorship and security measures from the CCP. Online photos from social media showed that some flowers and cards were laid at Mr. Li’s alma mater, Peking University.

Tense Atmosphere in Beijing

On Oct. 29, The Epoch Times received insider information from a source that Beijing is essentially under martial law, except that the authorities have not formally announced it. Heavily armed police from surrounding provinces have been deployed to Beijing in large numbers.

The person said that Beijing authorities are telling people not to leave their homes citing air pollution, which is quite common in China. Universities in Beijing have issued notices to cancel all public activities and to prevent students from leaving campus. Universities in neighboring provinces have issued similar notices. The Epoch Times checked the weather data for Beijing, which only suggested a moderate level of air pollution until Oct. 31.

The context of such an extreme level of restrictions is due to the fact that the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests were triggered by the death of Hu Yaobang, a pro-democratic reform leader within the CCP. The current Chinese regime fears that public expressions of grief toward Li Keqiang may potentially lead to further demonstrations against the regime. University students in particular have been put under severe restrictions since past pro-democracy movements started on campuses.

The person further said, “The atmosphere is very intense in Beijing, just as if it was after the June 4 Tiananmen Square Massacre. Chinese flags are not flown at half-mast to mark the occasion, and there are no memorial services to receive Mr. Li’s body as it arrived in Beijing. The streets of Beijing are filled with plainclothes and armed police, and absolutely no one dares to lay flowers at Tiananmen Square.”

The insider also revealed that many people in Beijing are privately discussing the cause of Mr. Li’s death and they suspected that it was an assassination, but no one dares to say so publicly.

Zhao Lanjian, a former Chinese journalist living in exile in the United States, also said that Beijing is now so tightly controlled that much of the news on the Internet and social media has been censored. He revealed that one of his former associates from the press in Beijing told him, “Now all the WeChat (Chinese messaging APP) and SMS are monitored by the state, and any information related to Li Keqiang is extremely sensitive. So if you say anything, the local resident’s committee will come knocking on your doors and looking for you.” Mr. Zhao Lanjian said that his friends from the past in Beijing have been approached by the Chinese police.

Some netizens also revealed that Beijing Police are requesting customer information for all online purchases of flowers, candles, and other items that might be used at memorial services. Sensitive delivery addresses include top universities, student associations, and venues close to Tiananmen Square.

CCP’s Fear of the ‘Tiananmen Square Effect’

The truth surrounding Mr. Li’s sudden death has now become the focus of the CCP in the face of public pressure. It appears odd that Mr. Li was taken to a Chinese medicine hospital for resuscitation, instead of Shanghai Zhongshan Hospital, which has a 96 percent success rate in treating heart attacks. The constant online skepticism, coupled with the spontaneous mourning around the country by the public, is frightening to the CCP.

The mourning of Mr. Li is somewhat similar to that of Hu Yaobang in 1989, who also died of a heart attack and whose death triggered the pro-democracy protests.

In a previous interview with The Epoch Times, U.S.-based Chinese businessman Hu Liren said, “The power struggles within the CCP are beyond our imagination. It’s a dark history of clandestine plots and internal fights.”