Read an article by the Washington Post that stated Chinese annoyance with the North Korean regime is increasing following more tests of ICBM’s in the small communist state. Reasons for this annoyance? Probably that is gives the United States and Seoul a valid excuse for positioning THAAD anti-missile systems operated by US troops in South Korea. China sees these installations as a threat to their military influence within the region, looking at the United States actions as imprudent. In fact, the Chinese state run media has latched on to the Chinese regimes sentiment, stating that Seoul will need to be dealt with in the long run. However, because of North Korean ICBM testing, it foils the Chinese argument that the THAAD system is irrelevant, thus granting legitimacy to US and South Korean officials behind its installation.

In short, China has a historic alliance with the North Koreans, but in recent years North Korea is creating more issues for China than helping them out. In my opinion China had better distance themselves from the North Korean regime, or reign them in tight. Otherwise there is a potential for there to begin a miniature arms race within the region between South Korea and China.

Source: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/analysis-north-korea-tests-four-more-missiles-%E2%80%94-and-china%E2%80%99s-patience/ar-AAnRVAP?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartandhp

Propaganda in china is rather complex, there are many departments and strategies involved in how China uses propaganda to influence it population and its views towards the regime and towards the rest of the world. Departments involved include some for literature, newspapers, magazines, textbooks, electronic communication, fiber optic cables that transmit communication, satellites, Television, Art, Military Propaganda for internal affairs, publishing, amongst other departments.

All of these work together to spread the regimes intent. However, it isn’t done in such a way as the regime says “this is what you’ll report/publish etc.” but more along the lines of the regime dropping hints on what might need to be emphasized in the media.

This doesn’t always work quite well though, as the media might hear one thing from the government, think its actually what needs to be reported on more, and then potentially make a bigger deal out of it than was previously thought necessary by the government. For example, a government official might state something about how they are expanding a bit of control over the south china sea, but then the news outlet might report it as China is maintaining control of the South China Sea and will valiantly defend its territorial rights from imposters (the USA to name one). This then can overly publicize or incentivize a government in the wrong direction, so in short, the Chinese government has to be careful not to allow an overzealous media take what the government says, and say what they think the government would like even more.

Its all very complex, but media and constant control in propaganda is crucial to the Chinese central government and CCP maintaining control within the country.

Reading about disguised collective action in china, I began to learn in a bit more detail the individualization of protests in China…a term known as atomization. This is not a traditional idea of group protests per se, but a method of protest that does not draw attention to an organized group with a resulting repression by the state government. In essence, the idea is that people secretly form groups, but instead of publicly declaring their offenses to the world/central government, train each individual member to complain to the state officials in different, individualized manners. This in theory allows the group to get their opinions about various policies across to the Chinese political leadership without the group painting a target on their backs. Frankly speaking, it is not a nationalistic protest that is aiming at dismantling the government, but in pushing their complaints through the current regime.

Another idea that has been discussed in class was the idea of “rightful resistance” , where the goal is to use the current system in a collective action to relay the greater peoples complaints/issues. Basically, a group needs to form, the people come together, and gain the attention of the central government by declaring the central governments sovereignty and asking for them to right the wrongs of lesser government officials (i.e. central government counteract a local governments policy decisions).

In short, protest still does occur in China, just not in the way that western states conduct protests. It needs to be disguised, decentralized, atomized….or a group coming up to the central government while showing deference for the current regime in power. Either method is made in order to limit the potential repressiveness of the central government.