Taipei [Taiwan], December 7 (ANI): China’s extensive digital surveillance and censorship system is showing signs of strain, according to Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC). In its latest Quarterly Report on the Situation in China, the council said Beijing’s “digital authoritarian model” has reached a breaking point and is trapped in a self-perpetuating cycle of suppression and speculation, The Taipei Times reported.
The MAC cited the suspicious death of Chinese actor Alan Yu in Beijing on September 11 as a clear example of cracks emerging in China’s online control regime. Authorities quickly labelled Yu’s death as an “accidental fall after drinking,” but the explanation was widely questioned by the public.
Circulating videos, audio clips, and online rumors linking Yu to senior Chinese Communist Party leader Cai Qi further fueled doubts. Chinese censors swiftly deleted posts, removed discussions, and blocked further inquiries. The Cyberspace Administration of China also summoned executives from large platforms such as Sina Weibo, Douyin, and Kuaishou, issuing fines and demanding stricter monitoring of trending topics to maintain what it called a “clean and bright cyberspace.”
According to the MAC, the incident exposed a key flaw in China’s strategy: the more authorities censor, the more the public distrusts official claims. Citing researcher Kevin Hsu in Foreign Policy, the council noted that “censorship itself has become the story,” amplifying conspiracy theories and eroding confidence in state institutions.
The report also highlighted the entertainment industry’s lack of autonomy in China, where artists’ reputations often rise or fall based on political priorities. The public outcry over Yu’s death, the MAC said, demonstrated how aggressive censorship has backfired, heightening public curiosity and resentment rather than suppressing it.
The council warned that China’s digital authoritarian system is overextended and struggling to control a population increasingly adept at evading censorship and sharing forbidden content overseas. These trends, it said, reveal deep vulnerabilities within China’s propaganda machinery, The Taipei Times reported. (ANI)
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