White Paper Movement Shakes CCP, but a Bigger Wave Can Be Expected: Analysts

People hold white sheets of paper in protest in Beijing on Nov. 27, 2022. Thomas Peter/Reuters

China’s white paper revolution evolved quickly with protestors opposing stringent lockdown measures and chanting, “Xi Jinping, Step down,” and “CCP, Step down,” which has presented a great challenge to Beijing. Experts warned of a bigger movement if the regime insists on maintaining its zero-COVID policy.

Possible Bloodshed

Since Nov. 26, the white paper revolution has appeared in various cities throughout China.

Participants have held a piece of blank paper expressing their mourning for the victims of a fire while detained in their apartments under lockdown in Urumqi, in western China, on Nov. 24. The exits of the building were locked, so residents were unable to leave.

A piece of white paper expresses opposition to the stringent COVID lockdowns as well as people’s demand for freedom of speech.

Guo-cheng Song is a researcher specialized in international relations. He explained the concept of a piece of white paper to the Chinese language edition of The Epoch Times.

“White is remembrance and mourning for the deceased in traditional Chinese culture,” he said.

A piece of white paper written with nothing actually says everything, he said. It’s a metaphor, a symbol of China’s censorship, “A muted protest; Silence speaks louder than many voices,” he said on Nov. 29.

Police intervention in the protests has been seen in numerous online videos. Beijing’s routine response to the protests—arresting the participants—has also been reported.

Song is concerned that further suppression could result in a resistance movement. He warned of possible bloodshed in the suppression.

Dozens of students expressed support for mainland China’s “White Paper Protest,” at the Cultural Square of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, on Nov. 29, 2022. Courtesy of University Community Press

The Regime’s Warning

The CCP’s political and legislative affairs committee announced a decision to crack down on “infiltration and sabotage activities by hostile forces” and “illegal and criminal acts that disrupt social order,” at a Nov. 28 meeting, according to the CCP’s mouthpiece Xinhua News.

The announcement seems to refer to the protestors as “hostile forces,” and their protests as crimes that “disrupt social order.”

The next day, Beijing also responded by demanding a precise risk assessment of the local pandemic, “excessive control measures should be continuously rectified,” to “reduce inconvenience to the public,” and “address reasonable requests of the public in a timely manner,” said the Health Commission in a press conference of the State Council on the 29th.

It emphasized maintaining Beijing’s COVID control protocols and response measures.

Taiwan-based financial expert Huang Shih-tsung said that the white paper revolution has definitely had a shocking effect on Zhongnanhai, the central leadership compound of the CCP. That’s why there’s a press conference from the Health Commission, and local governments of Zhengzhou and Urumqi saying they are lifting the lockdowns in certain areas.

He also said that understanding on the one hand that local governments were blamed for excessive measures by the CCP, but on the other hand Zhongnanhai will maintain its strict zero-COVID policy, China can then be expected to have an even bigger uprising.

“It’s in the process of smoldering before the explosion,” Huang said.

Haizhong Ning and Luo Ya contributed to this report.