Miao Villagers Standoff: China’s Special Police Retreat in Shame; JN.1 Variant Spreads Globally!

Miao people massively resist at New Year's start, smashing police cars, capturing special police. Skyrocketing social security payments in China. Citizens decry wealth extortion. A town in Hunan surrounded by garbage owes over 3 million to contracted company. China is facing the longest deflation in more than 14 years. Food director general. The new coronavirus accelerates global spread. Frequent mass incidents in China lead victims to yearn for free Taiwan. It's all covered in today's China truths. Miao people massively resist at New Year's start, smashing police cars, capturing special police. As we entered 2024 in mainland China, aside from the noticeable protests where people carried banners demanding unpaid wages, there has been a notable increase in incidents of public resistance. On January 11, according to a post and video shared by an overseas social media account called Yesterday, a recent unexpected clash between the police and the local community in Guizhou, China, stemmed from the funeral arrangements of an elderly man from the Miao ethnic group. Since the family couldn't afford the exorbitant fees for a public cemetery, they cremated the deceased's remains with the intention of burying the ashes within the village. However, the local authorities attempted to forcibly sell burial plots and deployed special police officers equipped with shields, forks, and other weapons, who forcefully entered the Miao village to seize the ashes of the deceased. The Yesterday account stated, This is a policy forcibly implemented by the local government to boost its financial income. However, the police encountered fierce resistance from the Miao villagers, who used stones, sticks, bricks, and various other objects. This resistance led to the capture of all the special police officers and significant damage to police vehicles. After pledging not to retaliate against the villagers and issuing an apology, the captured special police officers and government officials were released by the villagers. Since the villagers had extensively damaged all the vehicles, the officials had no option but to leave the village on foot. While leaving the village, they encountered a road lined with villagers. The post described the scene, saying, The faces of these usually arrogant and domineering thugs no longer have the usual aura. They walk on the road with their heads lowered, like lost dogs. The villagers stood on the high ground by the roadside and gave all the curse words they had learned in their lives to the special police officers and civil servants. They referred to these officers as bandits, government lackeys, and issued a stark warning that a return visit would result in nothing but death. This news has ignited animated discussions on social media within mainland China. The Miao villagers are being lauded as Miao heroes, and some have shared sentiments like it's heartening to see. They are willing to confront the police when they don't comply with orders, the people display remarkable resilience. Some even suggest that each of them, referring to the police, should be given a beating, and a few more should incur injuries, so they carry a sense of dread throughout their lives. However, certain netizens expressed caution, warning about the potential for the Communist Party to seek retribution later on. The personnel dispatched by the local government this time were armed only with conventional weapons. If they return with firearms to attack the village in the future, the harm to the villagers could be far more severe than what occurred this time. Skyrocketing Social Security Payments in China, Citizens Decry Wealth Extortion In recent times, the city of Shenzhen in China has witnessed a significant increase in the payments, losing its special economic zone benefits. Social security and medical insurance premiums have also surged in other regions. In detail, Shenzhen's Municipal Finance Bureau and Taxation Bureau announced that starting from January 1st of this year, the minimum social security payment base for employees and enterprises would rise from 2360 yuan to 3523 yuan from 332 to 495 U.S. dollars, marking a substantial increase of 49.3 percent. Post-July, Shenzhen's social security payment standards will align with those of other cities in Guangdong and beyond. This implies that both corporate profits and employee wages will face significant reductions. In addition to Shenzhen, starting from this year, the minimum payment bases for medical insurance, housing provident funds, and other contributions have also increased in Guangdong, Heilongjiang, Hainan Province, and cities like Jinan and Shandong. Mr. Zhang, a private business owner in Shenzhen, stated, the social security payments have more than doubled. This is tantamount to robbery. It's like having a knife at our throats. Noncompliance leads to bankruptcy, and your company gets deregistered. The economy is stuck in a vicious cycle, and it hasn't hit rock bottom yet. It will become even more challenging next year. Moreover, currently, a large number of orders are shifting to Southeast Asia. Domestic factories are losing orders, unable to continue production, resulting in job losses, and this vicious cycle persists. Mr. Zhang mentioned that so far, they can't see any signs of improvement, and there is no hope, leaving the common people feeling helpless. Similarly, Mr. Wei, a former public servant in Guangdong, commented that the CCP aims to boost government revenue. They are currently grappling with a financial crisis and are using every possible means to extract money from the people. This has caused widespread discontent. Even civil servants have seen their salaries reduced. According to him, the country is currently experiencing a severe economic downturn. This is why many people are considering emigrating and going abroad. Official CCP data reveals that in 2022, a staggering 25.17 million people in China withdrew from their urban and rural medical insurance. Two months ago, local media investigated the reason behind this phenomenal exodus and found that soaring personal premiums were the main cause. From 2003 to 2023, personal premiums skyrocketed by 37 times, with an annual average growth rate of 19.78%, placing a heavy financial burden on ordinary citizens. Official CCP figures indicate that rural residents, with an average annual income of about 20,000 yuan, about 2,813 US dollars, face 380 yuan, about 53 US dollars and 44 cents, in insurance premiums, making it unaffordable for many. Unequal medical resource distribution and inadequate coverage, such as low hospitalization reimbursement rates, further discourage participation in insurance. On January 11, Taiwan's Central Broadcasting Corporation reported that whether individuals are forced to withdraw due to economic constraints or choose to leave due to health care disparities, it highlights a significant issue within China's health care insurance system. This mass exodus has already affected various social security programs, serving as a potential time bomb for China's stability. Meanwhile, Wang Zhanqi, a researcher at Taiwan's National Security Institute, has studied China's social security. He revealed that many local Chinese governments unlawfully redirected health care insurance funds to cover pandemic-related expenses, including building temporary hospitals and extensive testing. This financial burden was largely drawn from health care insurance funds violating Chinese law. Wang also observed that young individuals have been sharing experiences of exiting various social security programs, including medical insurance, unemployment insurance, and pension plans, indicating a deteriorating Chinese social security system, possibly even leading to bankruptcy. Such a will undoubtedly foment social unrest and instability, with the white-haired movement serving as a real-life example. A town in Hunan surrounded by garbage owes over 3 million to contracted company. Due to financial difficulties within the CCP, many functional departments in different locations have been paralyzed, leading to an inability to pay for street cleaning. This problem specifically occurred in Lapu Town, Xiongtan, Hunan Province. On January 9th, local residents reported a buildup of garbage on the streets, with no cleanup efforts in sight. Online videos show a significant pile of trash in the middle of the street, along with overturned trash bins. Passing vehicles have to navigate carefully around the debris. Some local businesses in the area confirmed the situation and mentioned that they had to pay for cleaning their own shops. On January 10th, the Lapu Town government responded, explaining that due to financial constraints in recent years, they owe an outsourcing company over 3 million yuan, nearly 422,000 US dollars. Authorities asked businesses to contribute to but some declined and chose to handle cleanliness themselves. As a result, the government announced it would no longer provide garbage removal services for that particular street. The final resolution of the situation remains uncertain, and several Chinese media reports on this issue have been deleted. Many internet users have raised questions about where the management fees paid by businesses and taxes paid by residents are going, and why businesses are being tasked with covering cleaning expenses. Some have also inquired about the salaries of the town mayor and secretary. Some people are expressing concern that many second- and third-tier cities in mainland China seem to be facing similar crises, as videos show streets filled with garbage due to government financial constraints. China is facing the longest deflation in more than 14 years. China's consumer prices have experienced their longest consecutive decline since 2009. At the same time, China's export growth momentum is also weakening, which may plunge China into a vicious cycle of deflation. Data released by the National Bureau of Statistics of China on Friday, January 12, showed that the consumer price index, CPI, fell by 0.3% year-on-year in December 2023. Although the decline narrowed 0.2 percentage points from the previous month, it was the third consecutive month CPI was in deflationary territory. Among them, food prices fell by 3.7%, slightly better than the 4.2% decline in November. Core CPI, which excludes food and energy prices, rose 0.6% year-on-year. CPI climbed 0.2% for the year, well below the official target of about 3%. The producer price index, PPI, fell 2.7% and has been falling for more than a year due to lower commodity prices and weak domestic and international demand. Meanwhile, China's exports fell 4.6% year-on-year last year, the first decline since 2016. Exports are a major pillar of China's economy. The decline in export growth momentum is another major blow to the world's second-largest economy. According to data released by the General Administration of Customs of China on Friday, exports in December increased by 2.3% year-on-year, this was at least partly due to low export data in December 2022. At that time, the pandemic was raging across China, and the Chinese communist authorities implemented a strict zero-Covid policy, resulting in a nearly 10% drop in exports. Raymond Young, Chief Economist for Greater China at Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited, ANZ, told Bloomberg, China needs to take bold action to break the deflationary cycle, otherwise it will fall into a vicious cycle. As price pressure persists, he added, companies have been reducing selling prices and migrant workers have also been taking significant wage cuts. Ongoing deflation has also dragged down the value of China's export products. In October last year, the export price index hit a new low since 2006 and only rose slightly in November. At the same time, China's real estate industry remains sluggish, which may dampen household spending and increase price pressures. Coupled with weaker exports and falling prices that reduce business revenue, this could further hit wages and profits. Deflation could also increase debt burdens and prompt consumers to delay purchases. Many analysts believe that the People's Bank of China may cut policy interest rates as soon as next week. Although this will have little effect on boosting demand, it can ease debt financing pressure. The coming weeks are likely to be a critical period for policy action as China prepares to convene the National People's Congress. Beijing is expected to announce its official economic growth target for 2024 by then. Hu Director-General, The New Coronavirus Accelerates Global Spread The global pandemic is escalating again. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, warned that the new coronavirus JN.1 variant spread rapidly around the world last December, leading to a 42% increase in infections and a significant spike in deaths. During a regular press conference on January 10, Tedros highlighted the role of holiday gatherings and the emergence of the JN.1 variant in exacerbating the pandemic. He emphasized that the scale of nearly 10,000 new coronavirus deaths within a single month is unacceptable. In response, he urged governments worldwide to maintain vigilant monitoring of the pandemic situation. However, the death data from the Hu is considered to be a gross underestimate, as the Chinese Communist Party has been covering up the extent of the epidemic. The actual number of infections and deaths in mainland China remains unknown to the outside world. The situation in China appears dire, with hospitals continuously overwhelmed and crematoriums operating frequently, indicating many lives lost. Ms. Ming from Shanghai told the Epoch Times on January 2, the hospitals won't confirm COVID-19 as a cause of death. The doctors clearly stated that if we want to cremate, we cannot list COVID-19, otherwise, the body would just be left in the morgue. Moreover, according to the CCP Central Radio Network, Li Dong, chief physician at Beijing Yuan Hospital's Department of Infectious Diseases, said on January 5 that JN.1 infections are increasingly common and a peak in infections is expected before the Chinese New Year. Frequent mass incidents in China lead victims to yearn for free Taiwan. As we approach the end of the year, various rights protection incidents continue to unfold, including issues with property owners of unfinished buildings, collective wage claims by migrant workers, efforts by P2P lending victims to recover their invested capital, and depositors of rural town banks in Hunan demanding the return of their savings. The P2P online lending platforms, once strongly endorsed by the CCP, faced a series of defaults in 2018. By the end of 2020, official statements claimed that all 5,000 platforms had been shut down, leaving over 800 billion yuan, approximately 112.5 billion US dollars, in investors' funds unrecovered. Victims argue that public security and judicial authorities violated the law by categorizing financial fraud as illegal fundraising, resulting in their classification as P2P financial disaster refugees. Recently, recordings provided by victims have exposed the unlawful deprivation of their rights. Additionally, dozens of representatives from lenders associated with the Beijing Jiua P2P platform traveled to Beijing to petition the authorities. On the afternoon of the 9th, the Tiananmen police station dispatched several police cars to apprehend a rights protection representative, Fan Yanling, and there has been no information regarding her whereabouts to this day. After enduring years of brutal suppression in their rights protection efforts, some P2P victims have come to believe that only by toppling the CCP can the common people break free from their hardships. P2P victim Wang Jian, alias, stated that all of these victims of financial and property disasters have been searching for officials for possibly 3, 5, 7, or 8 years. Which official has helped you? They are safeguarding their own interests and disregarding the lives of the common people. Some officials are plundering and the oppression of the common people is too brutal. The common people are awakening, there's a nationwide eruption, a rising resistance, a toppling of the regime, it's a change of dynasty. Furthermore, some P2P victims argue that China can only find hope by adopting democratic freedoms similar to those in Taiwan, where people have the right to express themselves, oversee the government, and dare to take to the streets. Don't forget to comment in the section below to share your opinions on today's topic with us. If you find the information helpful, please share this video with a friend to watch together. This will be a great source of motivation for our team to produce more and more quality and reliable videos. And also don't forget to like and subscribe to see more interesting topics from Chinatruths. Thank you for tuning in!