The CCP’s Thuggish Behavior Is a Total Disgrace to Chinese People

A man looks at his phone near a giant image of the CCP flag on the side of a building during the ongoing 19th Communist Party Congress in Beijing on Oct. 23, 2017. Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images

Commentary

March 25 was a special day.

On this day, the United States announced sanctions on a Chinese state-run company and two Chinese nationals over their malicious cyberoperations targeting the United States.

The UK imposed sanctions on the Chinese company and the two Chinese nationals for what it called “malicious” cybercampaigns against British lawmakers and the UK Electoral Commission.

These announcements are rare statements that expose the thuggish acts of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to the whole world.

Also on the same day, reports revealed that bomb threats were being sent to theaters where Shen Yun Performing Arts, a top CCP target, was scheduled to perform. These threats have been forwarded to the FBI for investigation.

In the course of just more than a week, Shen Yun, which has been performing its 2024 season shows around the globe since last December, received three bomb threat emails. Additionally, two of the company’s tour buses were vandalized in such a way as to suggest an intent to cause a serious accident. The incidents are the latest in what appears to be an escalating campaign by the CCP against the New York-based performing arts company.

Since its establishment in 2006, Shen Yun has awed millions of audience members around the world with authentic Chinese history and tradition, dating back to before communism, while also exposing onstage the ugly nature of the CCP.

Shen Yun has been lauded by theatergoers for its pure performances and outstanding artistic excellence, winning numerous accolades worldwide. The show frequently attracts full houses and reaches more than 1 million audience members every year.

The CCP sabotages Shen Yun because it is afraid of its efforts to revive traditional Chinese culture; of the world getting to know China before communism; and of the world becoming aware of the Party’s evil nature.

The CCP’s evil traits have persisted since it seized power in China in 1949. It has been ruling China through violence and totalitarianism, permeating all facets of society, and extending its influence abroad.

A small group of Chinese youths walk past several wall posters in downtown Beijing, during the Cultural Revolution, in February 1967. Jean Vincent/AFP via Getty Images

China, with its 5,000-year-old civilization, was known as a land of morality and decorum. However, over the past seven decades, CCP leaders have engaged in extremely base and despicable acts that tarnish the reputation of both China and its citizens.

Domestically, Chinese Society Is Beset With Crises

Since the CCP seized power, it has destroyed China’s heritage, dishonored the nation’s forebears, and desecrated cultural tradition. It initiated political campaigns that targeted and oppressed China’s cultural mainstream, and ravaged the nation’s cultural relics, morality, and faith, including through the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s. Concurrently, the CCP has aggressively indoctrinated the Chinese populace with the communist culture of evolutionism, atheism, and materialism and built a foundation of conflict, precipitating a rapid and steep decline in the moral fabric of Chinese society.

As the ancient Chinese saying goes, “when the top beam is askew, the bottom beam will be crooked.” In a society dominated by the CCP’s authoritarianism, Chinese businesses and corporations, bereft of traditional values, pursue short-term gains without any moral compass. The prevalence of counterfeit goods including medicines, toxic rice, oil, vermicelli, and milk powder; rampant corruption, fraud, substandard construction, unchecked suppression, and bullying; and widespread hostility and homicide are indicative of the pervasive chaos in Chinese society. Today, under the CCP, Chinese society is riddled with danger and is teetering on the brink of collapse.

Internationally, CCP Lacks Trust

In the international community, the CCP doesn’t hide its ugly nature, breaking its promises randomly and conducting aggressive so-called “wolf warrior” diplomacy.

The CCP once firmly pledged that it would allow Hong Kong’s “one country, two systems” policy to remain in place for 50 years. However, in less than half that time, the CCP dismissed the Sino–British Joint Declaration as “merely a historical document with no current practical significance,” turning its breach of faith into an international mockery.

The CCP rapidly enacted Article 23 in Hong Kong, a new sweeping national security law, which has triggered a fresh wave of global condemnation and protests.

CCP spokesman Zhao Lijian, who epitomized the “Wolf Warrior” diplomacy approach, in Beijing on April 8, 2020. Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images

Article 23 covers five offenses: treason, insurrection, theft of state secrets and espionage, destructive activities endangering national security, and external interference.

In addition, the CCP is consistently colluding with nefarious regimes around the globe, providing overt and covert support to a range of terrorist groups, and undermining and challenging the democratic systems of the West.

Freedom and democracy form the bedrock of Western societies, yet the CCP seeks to entangle the West through economic incentives, exploiting greed to erode Western moral principles and turning people into accomplices of the CCP. By linking Western fortunes to the CCP through economic ties, the regime undermines democratic values and chips away at freedom. Such contemptible strategies have triggered alarm and pushback within the West.

CCP’s Intellectual Property Theft Brings Disgrace to Academia

The CCP resorts to any means necessary to strengthen its power. It aggressively exports its communist ideology to democratic countries and carries out espionage activities worldwide.

In the realm of technology, it steals it on a global scale and then replicates it in China, attempting to leapfrog Western countries. Tactics used by the CCP include economic warfare and an all-out spy war, bringing total disgrace to Chinese and foreign academics.

The CCP’s actions have incited the ire of the international community, leading to a concerted effort to contain it.

Between 2018 and 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice brought charges against more than 150 academics, about 90 percent of whom were of Chinese origin or descent.

A recent string of bomb threats against the New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts, a top target of Beijing, is under investigation by the FBI. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

On May 9, 2022, U.S. District Court Judge J. Ronnie Greer sentenced Shannon You, a Chinese American scientist and former lead engineer at Coca-Cola, to 14 years in prison for stealing trade secrets valued at $120 million, engaging in economic espionage, and committing fraud.

Ms. You and her Chinese corporate partner, Weihai Jinhong Group, received millions of dollars in grants from the CCP to support the new company, prosecutors said.

A federal grand jury in San Francisco charged 38-year-old Chinese national Linwei Ding, a former Google software engineer, for stealing artificial intelligence-related trade secrets while working for Chinese competitors seeking to gain an edge in the artificial intelligence race.

Mr. Ding was charged with four counts of trade secret theft, each punishable by up to 10 years in prison. He was arrested at his residence in Newark, California, on March 6.

The 38-year-old allegedly stole more than 500 files containing confidential information between May 2022 and May 2023.

The CCP’s intellectual property theft has actually jeopardized the reputation of the Chinese diaspora, particularly affecting the career prospects of scientists of Chinese origin. The CCP’s systematic appropriation of U.S. and European technology has resulted in widespread suspicion of overseas Chinese as potential CCP collaborators or even proxies, impeding their opportunities for advancement abroad.

People attend a job fair in Beijing on Aug. 19, 2023. Millions of graduates are entering China's job market at a time of soaring youth unemployment. Jade Gao/AFP via Getty Images

For instance, in the past few years, the United States has denied entry to hundreds of Chinese academics and international students, while others have faced expedited deportation.

More than 500 Chinese STEM students’ visa applications to study at major U.S. universities were reportedly rejected by the U.S. government over security concerns in July 2021.

About a dozen Chinese students were reportedly denied entry to the United States and deported quickly upon arrival at U.S. airports.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson admitted during a regular news conference on Jan. 4 that in recent months, dozens of Chinese individuals, including students, have been compelled by U.S. authorities to return to China each month. Many of them are graduates from top Chinese universities who went on to pursue their studies at renowned universities in the United States.

China’s Booming Counterfeit Economy

The CCP aggressively pursues economic development through widespread counterfeiting and brand imitation. Product counterfeiting and the sale of knock-offs have become so systemic that they’ve established their own industry chains. The proliferation of fakes under the CCP has led to the creation of a ranking system for counterfeit mobile phone brands in China. Moreover, these substandard knock-off products are being exported abroad, posing a threat to the global community.

According to the Korean Customs Service, during the four-week period between Nov. 6 and Dec. 1, 2023, 142,930 counterfeit items were confiscated; about 90 percent of them were traced back to China. Tests revealed that a range of products designed for direct skin contact contained carcinogenic substances at levels two to 930 times higher than the acceptable limits.

Recently in Australia, two Chinese individuals used Uber to visit a luxury store in Sydney. During the ride, the driver inquired, “Are you heading to the store to take photos so you can replicate and sell knock-offs?”

Customs and Border Protection in Los Angeles intercepted 13,586 counterfeit designer products arriving in a containerized cargo shipment from China, on Nov. 9, 2021. U.S. Customs and Border Protection

The CCP has moralized, normalized, rationalized, and even militarized acts of intellectual theft, waging what it dubs a “people’s war” to appropriate advanced Western technologies under the guise of patriotism, nationalistic fervor, and the promise of monetary and reputational rewards. This alarming and aberrant conduct is without historical precedent.

The CCP’s thuggish behavior extends beyond the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia. In Africa, the CCP is aggressively expanding its influence without regard for the consequences, resulting in severe ecological damage, rampant poaching of wildlife, and the oppression of local populations.

In contemporary times, the CCP has shed any pretense and openly challenges the international community. Actions that would be beneath the dignity of ordinary people are commonplace under the CCP’s rule.

When Etiquette Fades, Civilization Wanes

Chinese civilization boasts a long and profound history, often hailed as the epitome of etiquette. For a considerable stretch of history, traditional China was a beacon for other nations to study and emulate.

At that time, people from diverse backgrounds flocked to China to acquire knowledge and expertise, symbolizing the splendor of Chinese civilization. Even the children dispatched beyond the nation’s borders during the Qing Dynasty to study in the United States largely assimilated swiftly into U.S. society and forged numerous friendships.

Nevertheless, under the deliberate influence of the CCP, many Chinese individuals today demonstrate behavior and a mindset that diverges from the international community. The prevalent traits include disregard for norms, distrust, lying, inclination toward confrontation, and an aversion to admitting faults while prioritizing personal image. The uncivilized conduct of numerous Chinese immigrants in Western societies has left the international community aghast.

In 2015, a Chinese woman allowed a young boy to defecate outside a Burberry store in the village of Bicester, England, though a public bathroom sat only feet away.

In 2016, a Chinese tourist shocked Russians when she allowed her child to urinate directly on the floor of the grand Catherine Palace. Built in the 18th century, the palace was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990.

In response to such uncivilized behavior, countries such as France, Germany, Japan, and Thailand—Chinese tourists’ favorite destinations—have all come up with signs written in simplified Chinese characters: “Chinese people, please flush after using the toilet,” “Please keep quiet,” and “Please refrain from spitting everywhere.” These signs dedicated to the Chinese populace indeed embarrass all Chinese people.

International Community Bands Together in Protest

When international communities are offended by the CCP’s behavior, it is the Chinese people who suffer the consequences of the resentment and retaliation from free societies.

In recent years, the proportion of Americans and Europeans holding negative views toward China has steadily increased. A Pew survey conducted in 2023 showed that 38 percent of U.S. adults surveyed described China as an enemy, a 13-point increase from March 2022. A majority said that China is a competitor (52 percent), and just 6 percent considered China a partner of the United States, while 83 percent had negative views of China.

On March 14, the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability sent letters to nine federal agencies, including the Department of Justice, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Agency for Global Media, the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Science Foundation to ensure that the federal government will take every action necessary to protect Americans from the CCP’s ongoing political warfare. The committee urged all agencies to adopt a comprehensive approach to counter the systematic infiltration of the CCP into U.S. society.

Choosing a Better Future

The CCP originated from thuggish beginnings and its nature remained unaltered after seizing power. Even under the guise of “reform and opening up,” the CCP merely used rhetoric about reform, legality, human rights, democracy, prosperity, civilization, and the like to deceive both the Chinese populace and the international community. In practice, it has aggressively plundered private wealth, tightened its authoritarian control, and marginalized civilian voices in favor of Party dominance, resulting in significant moral regression.

Throughout its decades in power, the CCP has consistently stooped so low and committed such contemptible deeds, earning the condemnation of nations worldwide and tarnishing the reputation of both China and its people. When the CCP faces opposition from free societies, it shamelessly uses the Chinese people as its shield.

A community that neglects civilized etiquette will not garner respect; a regime that disregards integrity will not sustain itself; a nation and a people without cultural roots cannot genuinely thrive. Chinese citizens and members of the international Chinese community should recognize the CCP’s harm and destruction of China’s reputation and the image of its people. By resisting the misconduct of the CCP, they can safeguard the reputation that the Chinese people rightfully deserve.

The international community should no longer naively assume that the CCP is a normal regime. It must recognize it as an evil regime that embodies the incarnation of malevolence with the intent to destroy humanity. Its existence serves only to prompt individuals to make choices between good and evil, thereby shaping their own futures. Let us differentiate between China and the CCP, resist the CCP, distance ourselves from the CCP, and choose a brighter future for ourselves.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.