China Dissent Monitor
2023
Issue 2: October-December 2022
Highlights
- Over one thousand real-world protests since June: CDM has documented 1,080 dissent events since June 2022, 96 percent of which were offline acts, such as demonstrations, sign protests, and strikes. At least 23,000 people cumulatively have participated in protest events. So far, 253 events were documented for the period from October 1 to December 5, 2022.
- Anti-lockdown protests: CDM documented 173 cases of dissent against COVID-19 pandemic rules between June 1 and December 5, with 48 protests in September and October and 89 in November—reflecting a rising wave throughout the autumn. Analysis indicates that relative to other dissent, lockdown protests were larger, more likely to challenge the government, and more likely to result in arrests. This movement contributed to a greater amount of student-led and political dissent during the fourth quarter of 2022 compared to the third.
- Protest dip during Party Congress: CDM data suggests a relative decrease in protests around the period of the 20th Party Congress in October, when Xi Jinping began his third term as Chinese Communist Party (CCP) head. This could be the result of tightened security or greater censorship of information about protests. Despite the temporary lull, dissent actions remained frequent before and after that period.
- Protests by diverse groups: While property buyers (395 events) and workers (168) constitute the top groups engaged in dissent since June, a wide range of others groups launched protest actions including urban residents (153), students (56), rural residents (33), and faith groups (25). CDM has documented dissent in every province and region of the PRC.
- Arrest of protesters is common: In 8.5 percent of cases (92 events), there is direct evidence of authorities detaining or arresting protesters, reflecting the significant risks faced by people who engage in public dissent. The risk is higher for certain groups that face targeted persecution; for example, 72 percent of documented dissent actions among faith groups resulted in arrests.
- Government concessions: State authorities have made some level of concession in 51 cases—for instance, by revising a policy or acknowledging protesters’ grievances. Concessions were more frequently documented in response to anti-lockdown protests.
