Chinese citizens risk everything to gamble despite Xi Jinping's crackdown

In October 2022, a secret meeting held by Chinese leader Xi Jinping focused on developing a strategy to combat the Falun Gong religious group on an international level. Top state officials overseeing political and intelligence operations were instructed to launch disinformation campaigns through social media and collaborate with Western media. Xi's concern stemmed from the success of media organizations established by Falun Gong practitioners, such as The Epoch Times and New Tang Dynasty Television, which emerged as significant adversaries to the Chinese Communist Party's messaging. Despite extensive resources and manpower allocated to suppress these organizations, Xi recognized a failure to do so, motivating a shift in tactics. Under this new plan, the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission was tasked with coordinating actions both domestically and internationally, while various governmental departments, including the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of State Security, were assigned the duties of both legal persecution in China and overseas attacks against Falun Gong. These efforts are designed to utilize legal systems in foreign countries as a means of harassment against Falun Gong practitioners. U.S. lawmakers and officials have condemned this newly instated approach, highlighting concerns over human rights violations and the Chinese Communist Party's attempts to censor and undermine pro-democracy groups not only within China but also abroad. There has been increasing scrutiny and condemnation of the CCP's tactics to employ disinformation and legal manipulation against Falun Gong groups, indicating a growing awareness of China's influences reaching into Western jurisdictions. As the campaign evolves, it highlights a broader issue of how authoritarian regimes attempt to exert control and influence globally, particularly regarding diaspora communities and international dissidents. The implications of Xi's brutal crackdown extend beyond China, challenging democratic values and raising alarm about the reach of oppressive state actions into democratic societies.