-Arnav Kaul
“Dreams do not come true by themselves”, said Xi Jinping. Of course they won’t, not if everyone dreams the nightmare of being a part of China’s vanishing act. Something that would have fooled even Houdini, the biggest names from China simply disappear off the face of the Earth without a trace. They reappear like a shadow of their past lives, either tortured, or kept quiet by the Chinese government.
The questions are endless but the answers are few.
Now You See Me, And Now You Don’t
The magic first began with Ai Weiwei, an artist who criticised the Chinese government in 2011. Around the same time, he was sentenced to 81 days in a secret prison facility, whose model was made by him in 2015, highlighting the atrocities behind it.
However, just like most big budget movie directors, the government directed a sequel, and it didn’t take long, with the disappearance of Meng Hongwei. The sequel was quite explosive, as Meng happened to be the President of INTERPOL.
Meng was not alone, as he was part of a greater purge, a purge relating to the Communist Party’s quest to eradicate all political competition regardless of the means it takes to do so. In Meng’s case, during his visit to the Chinese capital, he was detained for 12 days. If that wasn’t questionable enough, he then wrote to his wife saying he was in danger, and resigned from the International Police with immediate effect.
A year later, his wife was granted political asylum in France, saying she felt that either her or their 2 children could be ‘kidnapped at any moment.’ Another year passes, and Meng is sentenced to 13 years in prison for accepting 2 million USD, as uncovered by China’s anti-corruption unit. This was a crime he confessed on camera.
Judging the circumstances however, can we really believe that he committed this act of bribery? Can we really consider this “anti-corruption” unit to truly be removing the “corrupt” leaders, considering the fact that they all happen to be powerful people with means to dethrone Xi Jinping?
Yet again, the questions are many, but the answers are few.
Ali-ByeBye
The show did not stop there, with the CEO of global conglomerate Alibaba, Jack Ma, vanishing as well. His disappearance can be inferred with far more ease.
In 2020, Jack Ma boldly decided to take a stand against the new business regulations adopted by the CCP. This was due to the socialist pushes from the Chinese government to break the dominance of AliBaba and AntGroup. Included in the plot was the shutdown of the AntGroup’s largest share offering in history.
This shutdown was seen by many as a warning for Jack Ma. But he took no heed and marched against the CCP, with his remarks. Perhaps those remarks did not sign his death warrant, but they were more than enough to convince the government to begin a shakedown of this company and to perform another vanishing act.
Ma later resurfaced 3 months ago. Where did he go, what happened to him, these are the questions that both him and the government know will not reach the international media.
But A Glimpse
These disappearances, although shocking, are just the tip of the iceberg, a glance into the actions of the Chinese government on their own residents, regardless of their position or status. Many others too, have disappeared, and who knows, some may have vanished so well, they won’t be seen again. Questions galore, but answers at almost zero.
Writer’s Corner
Although filled with facts and informative tidbits, the central idea of this article remains consistent – freedom of the fullest does not see eye to eye with the agendas of the CCP. Regardless of whether it be the people of the nation, or even members of their own party. This regime they have maintained has seen many people, both famous and not, affected gravely.
People are not the only things silenced, for reality branches to media, information, and so much more. China has always been the mysterious land of the east, whether it be the origins of COVID, or the devious “spy balloon” found over American soil.
I too, firsthand have seen this barring of freedom. It was, in fact, a broadcast on the disappearance of Meng Hongwei. Once the broadcast began, it was almost immediately shut down. Of course, China cannot limit what is done online for the people around the world, but it definitely has built a fortress of power, and at the throne is the Communist Party itself.
The iron fist that China maintains on its people is one that is rarely found anywhere else in such a functioning manner, especially considering China’s prowess in all fields. Consider it an atrocity or consider it the right of the government, but it is happening, and not a single country can lay a finger on China about it.
The Echo 