The Chinese economy
The Chinese economy
The Chinese economy
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Police monitor security at schools, karaoke bars and rental houses to quell perceived unrest, after several massacres alarmed the public.
By Vivian Wang
Reporting from Beijing
The Chinese government is stepping up measures to root out potential troublemakers and suppress social discontent, after a spate of mass killings has shaken the country and stirred fears about public safety.
Armed police have been stationed outside of schools, with bollards erected nearby to prevent cars from ramming into people. Police officers have increased patrols in supermarkets, tourist attractions and other crowded places, and pledged to better regulate knives and other weapons. Officials have also promised to help the unemployed and distribute holiday subsidies to the needy.
The security effort, which the government in some places has dubbed “Operation Winter,” follows a series of recent attacks that have highlighted China’s long-suffering economy. In November, a driver crashed into a crowd outside a sports center in the city of Zhuhai, killing at least 35 other people in the deadliest attack in China in a decade. A week later, a stabbing took place that killed eight other people and another car rammed outside a school. In all three cases, authorities said the perpetrators were expressing monetary discontent.
After the Zhuhai attack, Chinese leader Xi Jinping ordered the government to “strictly avoid excessive cases. ” Authorities at all levels rushed to comply.
The drivers of the two car attacks were sentenced to death last month, after unusually swift trials that demonstrated the government’s determination to crack down on potential copycats.
Projecting stability has long been one of the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s biggest fears, its implicit justification for restricting citizens’ civil liberties. But this fear has become even more central as high youth unemployment, skyrocketing home foreclosures and deteriorating foreign relations have fueled widespread fears about China’s future. Some officials are no longer paid, while local government finances are stagnant.
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