Multimillionaire Guo Guangchang. BOBBY YIP REUTERS
In my previous column I described the economic difficulties that China is going through. The least economic growth in 25 years, The massive capital leakage, immense debts impossible to collect and a strong fall in the stock exchange are some of the symptoms that the economy of the Asian giant does not do well. Macroeconomic seizures always generate turbulence in other areas. Next, Some of the rare micro -assembly, They have macro-implications for China, Your government, its population e, inevitably, For all of us.
The Communist Party represses the working class. In January of 2011 There were eight labor strikes in China. This January, 503. According to the Chinese labor newsletter, in 2015 was 2.774 strikes, twice as 2014. The increase in conflict has led the government to strongly repress workers' leaders. International observers have warned that, While Chinese labor organizations have always suffered systematic attacks and government pressures (Fiscal audits, mafia violence, Police harassment), repression has risen. As an article points out in The Washington Post, The regime seems determined to end labor activism forever. "It is a cruel irony that the Communist Party represses workers", concludes.
Entrepreneurs that evaporate. Guangchang's GuoGChang call Chinese Warren Buffet. It is a Billonario who controls the largest private company in China, Fosun. Last December, Guo disappeared. It was said that he was "collaborating with certain investigations from the authorities". days later, And without major explanations, reappeared directing the Fosun Shareholders Assembly.
A zezhu, One of the best known leaders of the Chinese financial sector, It was much worse than Guo. In January, He threw out a window. He left a note explaining that his suicide was due to the fact that the disciplinary agency of the Communist Party was investigating him for "personal reasons". These are only two examples of a surprising number of important entrepreneurs who have "disappeared", They have suddenly resigned, of emigrate or the cyclists of detentions. The list includes the most pomegranate in the business sector. It is known that one of the priorities of President Xi Jinping is the fight against corruption. And the disappearance and detention of entrepreneurs is, definitely, A demonstration of this crusade. But it also reflects that the anti -corruption struggle also serves to eliminate possible rivals and consolidate power.
Books also disappear… I mean accounting books. Recently, Police had to use two backhoes to extract from a very deep hole 1.200 Books with the accounting of one of the largest financial frauds in China. and, of 34 years, He is the founder of Ezubao, One of the best known investment houses. The company promised a 15% annual performance to those who deposit their money there. They did so 900.000 personas. And they lost 7.600 millions of dollars that, as it is known now, Ding used for its own purposes. Ezubao's is the greatest and most visible of frauds that plague the Chinese financial sector. But it is not the only one.
And editors, booksellers and writers… The Editor Lee Bo, of 65 years, British citizen with residence in Hong Kong, It also faded in December. His wife denounced the police that Lee had been kidnapped and taken to Beijing. A few days later she withdrew the complaint and explained that her husband had voluntarily traveled to help the Chinese police in an investigation. Four other people associated with Lee's publishing house are missing since last year. Small detail: The company is known for publishing books that are critical of Chinese leaders.
Another editor, Yiu Man, of 73 years, The publication of The Godfather Xi Jinping, A critical book written by dissident Yu Jie. But he could not publish it because he was sentenced to 10 years of prison. ¿His crime? The government accused him of having brought some drums of industrial painting from Hong Kong to Shenzhen without paying tariffs. Naturally, The repression of editors makes critical books disappear and their authors are exile, hide or stop writing.
And words and numbers. Professor Frank Fukuyama has just identified the words that disappeared from the Chinese edition of his latest book. Among others: “Mao”, "The protests in Tiananmen", "The great famine", "corruption” and "The Empire of the Law". There is also a very long list of words that do not appear in Internet search engines or that are deleted when written on social networks. Indispensable statistical data has also been faded to evaluate the economic situation. Others have been clearly adulterated.
In summary: censorship, propaganda, Information concealment, harassment, Dissenting imprisonment, activists, entrepreneurs and whoever protest against the regime. These are some of Beijing's responses to the social and political consequences of their economic crisis. Governments often aggravate crises with their reactions. This is an example.
Twitter @moisesnaim
