China Is at a ‘Significant Turning Point’: Former Chinese Diplomat

Police keep some protesters behind a cordon during a protest against the Chinese regime's strict zero-COVID measures in Beijing, China, on Nov. 27, 2022. Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

A former Chinese diplomat who turned whistleblower in 2005 believes that the massive protests across China may be a significant turning point for the country.

Protests have erupted across the mainland over the weekend, triggered by a deadly high-rise apartment fire in Urumqi, the capital city of China’s far western Xinjiang region, reportedly killing 10 people.

Chen Yonglin is a former senior diplomat who was stationed at the Chinese consulate in Sydney, Australia. His job included monitoring Chinese dissidents before he defected 17 years ago. He has since exposed the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) infiltration tactics in the West.

“China is in the midst of a major turning point as Xi Jinping does not want to abandon his ‘zero-COVID’ policy, which could lead to big changes,” Chen told the Chinese language edition of The Epoch Times on Nov. 28.

‘The Urumqi Fire Awakens Chinese People’

Chen noted the disastrous situation caused by the CCP’s draconian COVID-19 measures in China and the authorities’ violent dealing with residents. He said that the lockdowns have deprived people of their freedom and caused many family tragedies.

There have been reports of deaths caused by lockdowns resulting in delays in medical treatment across the country, including in Xinjiang, Gansu Province, central Henan Province, and financial hub Shanghai.

Chen said the Urumqi high-rise fire was especially shocking to many people.

“The Urumqi fire awakens Chinese people, especially those in major cities, who face the same danger: fire exits are sealed, passages are blocked, and all roads are barricaded,” he said, “They can no longer put up with the lockdowns as their life is threatened.”

Hundreds of Chinese students at the University of Pennsylvania joined a candlelight vigil to mourn those who lost their lives in the Urumqi fire, in Xinjiang, in support of demonstrations in China calling for an end to COVID-19 lockdowns, on Nov. 29, 2022. Leon Liu/The Epoch Times

The World Cup Is an Eye-Opener

For many Chinese soccer fans, especially young Chinese people, the FIFA World Cup held in Qatar is an eye-opener. It shows them the freedom people enjoy outside the CCP’s totalitarian rule.

“Many young people saw that other countries don’t lock up their residents like China. China confines its own people as if they are in prison,” Chen said.

What Chinese soccer fans watched on TV was shocking to them. Chinese netizens questioned if they were on the same planet as Qatar because they saw tens of thousands of audiences packed in the stadium, and most didn’t wear masks. Their posts were immediately removed from Chinese social media platforms.

“The difference [in COVID control measures] makes many young people start questioning and think independently,” Chen said.

“Though they have been brainwashed by the CCP’s lies and their notions have been formed in the CCP’s education, they have now awakened once they have come to see the truth, especially the young people,” he added.

The CCP Can’t Censor All Information

Chen believes the CCP can’t censor all information regarding the recent nationwide protests against lockdown measures.

“The CCP uses the zero-COVID measures to control people and maintain the so-called stability, monitoring people who are against the communist regime and who are discontent with the CCP,” Chen said.

For the past several decades, China underwent economic reform and opened its markets to the outside world. The young people who grew up during this period saw economic growth, but they had little understanding of the evil history of the CCP, he noted.

“These people still have very positive views of the CCP and lack independent thinking. Now with the internet, they have access to more information online, which the CCP cannot entirely block.

“With more information channels now, young people start to think [independently],” Chen said.

CCP’s Attempts to Suppress Will ‘Fail’

Chen believes that some people will continue to cooperate with the CCP for money if they think Beijing will keep its opening-up policies since the late 1970s.

“Many people think they can live a much better life than during the Cultural Revolution,” he said.

However, their interests would be at stake if CCP leader Xi Jinping closed China’s doors to the world. “Before Xi closes the door, Chinese people think they still have an opportunity to choose what they want.”

Chen added that people would fight to choose their own fate, which is their right.

“I think that the CCP will likely use similar thuggish means to crack down on the protests in cities in mainland China, the way it suppressed Hong Kong’s protests.”

The “CCP’s thuggish attempts are doomed to fail” due to two factors, according to Chen.

First, major Chinese cities have a larger population than Hong Kong.

Second, Hongkongers are primarily peaceful protesters. But Chinese protesters grew up under the CCP’s advocation of violence, and they will be like Yang Jia if there are violent clashes between protesters and police, Chen said.

Yang allegedly killed six police officers in Shanghai after he was arrested and interrogated by the police in October 2007 for riding an unregistered bicycle.

He was reportedly beaten by Shanghai police officers. Yang filed a complaint with the local authorities, but to no avail. He decided to seek justice on his own.

Yang was executed in 2008. Most Chinese people regard him as a singlehanded hero who resisted the police.

The Chinese regime tightened its control in some cities in response to the major protests that flared across the country over the weekend. Video footage showed protesters being shoved into police vehicles.

“We need to wait and see what options Xi will take. If he doesn’t abolish his zero-COVID policy, it can prompt great changes in China, which may be a significant turning point and a historic opportunity for the people,” Chen said.

Xia Song and Luo Ya contributed to this report.