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A split-screen image: on one side, a peaceful group meditation in a park (representing Falun Gong practice before 1999); on the other side, the same scene but with practitioners being led away by authorities, leaving discarded banners and meditative poses interrupted. This stark contrast emotionally illustrates the abrupt change brought about by the persecution.

The Hidden Battle: How China’s 25-Year Crusade Against Falun Gong Impacts Us All

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched a campaign to eliminate Falun Gong in July 1999, which continues 25 years later. CCP’s efforts extend beyond China’s borders, targeting Falun Gong practitioners overseas and attempting to influence foreign institutions..

Key Takeaways:

  • The CCP views the campaign against Falun Gong as crucial for maintaining political power and ideological supremacy.
  • New initiatives, including nationwide signature campaigns and monetary rewards, indicate ongoing efforts to suppress Falun Gong.
  • The CCP’s anti-Falun Gong efforts extend globally, targeting practitioners overseas and attempting to influence foreign institutions.
A close-up image of hands reaching out through prison bars, with one hand holding a lotus flower (a symbol associated with Falun Gong). The contrast between the harsh metal bars and the delicate flower symbolizes resilience in the face of oppression. This image evokes emotions of confinement and hope.

The Enduring Persecution of Falun Gong: CCP’s 25-Year Campaign

Introduction

In July 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) initiated one of the most extensive political campaigns since the Cultural Revolution – a comprehensive effort to eradicate Falun Gong, a meditation and spiritual discipline practiced by tens of millions of Chinese citizens. This crusade, marked by public book burnings, relentless propaganda, mass arrests, and torture, has persisted for a quarter-century, defying initial expectations of its longevity.

I. The CCP’s Continued Focus on Falun Gong

Internal Priority

Despite attempts to downplay its significance, internal CCP sources reveal that the campaign against Falun Gong remains a central component of the regime’s efforts to control the population and maintain political power. Documents from at least 12 provinces and cities across China between 2019 and 2023 link crackdowns on Falun Gong practitioners with safeguarding “national security” and “political security.”

II. New Initiatives

The CCP periodically launches new initiatives to reinforce its long-standing crusade against Falun Gong:

A. Nationwide signature campaign

In early 2023, a nationwide signature drive was launched, leveraging modern technology to spread disinformation and encourage citizens to denounce Falun Gong practitioners.

The campaign, hosted on the ubiquitous WeChat platform, uses animated characters to appeal to users across age groups, demonstrating the regime’s adaptability in its methods of suppression.

B. Monetary rewards for reporting practitioners

Another telling initiative is the implementation of monetary reward systems for citizens who report Falun Gong activities.

Official websites reveal programs offering financial incentives ranging from 200 to 50,000 yuan (approximately $27 to $6,900), these programs reveal the extent to which the CCP is willing to invest in maintaining its anti-Falun Gong stance.

III. Global Reach of the Campaign

This includes targeted efforts to silence Falun Gong practitioners living abroad and attempts to leverage economic and political ties to influence Western institutions against the practice.

Transnational repression

A. Targeting overseas practitioners

The CCP’s targeting of Falun Gong extends beyond China’s borders.

Leaked speeches by top officials, including former public security chief Meng Jianzhu, indicate a strategic focus on what they term the “overseas struggle.”

B. Leveraging International Influence

The CCP seeks to use growing political and economic ties with Western countries to restrict Falun Gong activities and spread propaganda globally.

We must seize the opportunity of Western countries’ rising demand for us and push the concerned countries to ban or restrict the activities of ‘Falun Gong,‘” Meng stated in a 2015 speech, outlining a clear strategy for international influence.

IV. Real-world Impact

 

The real-world impact of this ongoing campaign is stark and deeply concerning. Reports continue to emerge of practitioners facing arrest, torture, and family separation.

The effects of the CCP’s directives are reflected in daily reports of repressive actions:

  • Retirees detained by police
  • Young people suffering injuries from torture
  • Families separated for years

These incidents underscore the ongoing nature of the persecution and its impact on individuals and families.

These human rights violations persist despite the passage of time and changes in CCP leadership, including the death of Jiang Zemin, who initiated the persecution in 1999.

V. Notable Points

The CCP's campaign against Falun Gong has lasted 25 years, longer than many expected.

End 25 Years’ Persecution of Falun Gong (ganjianworld.com).

• The CCP’s campaign against Falun Gong has lasted 25 years, longer than many expected.
• Internal CCP documents prioritize Falun Gong suppression over other security concerns like counterterrorism.
• The CCP launched a new nationwide campaign in 2023 to spread disinformation about Falun Gong using WeChat.
• Some local governments offer rewards up to 50,000 yuan ($6,900) for reporting Falun Gong practitioners.
• The CCP views countries with significant Falun Gong activities, such as the United States, as the “main battlefield” for their overseas campaign.
• Recent arrests in the US have exposed CCP agents attempting to undermine Falun Gong organizations abroad.
• The 610 Office, a Gestapo-like organization, was created specifically to persecute Falun Gong
• Falun Gong practitioners have been subjected to forced labor, torture, and organ harvesting
• Oxford University held training sessions attended by Chinese doctors accused of organ harvesting.

 

Conclusion

As the CCP’s campaign against Falun Gong enters its 25th year, it serves as a crucial lens through which to understand modern China.

The regime’s internal communications, often at odds with its public stance, reveal the true priorities and methods of the CCP’s governance.

For those seeking to comprehend the complexities of contemporary Chinese society and politics, the ongoing persecution of Falun Gong remains an essential piece of the puzzle.

As the Falun Dafa Information Center suggests, one need only look at what CCP officials say to each other, away from the international spotlight, to grasp the true nature and scope of this enduring campaign.

 

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Sources:

  1. “25 Years On, Falun Gong Still Firmly in Beijing’s Repressive Sights”
    URL: thediplomat.com/2024/07/25-years-on-falun-gong-still-firmly-in-beijings-repressive-sights
  2. “New Report: After 25 Years of Persecution, Chinese Regime Remains Laser-focused on Falun Gong – Falun Dafa Information Center” –
    URL: faluninfo.net/new-report-after-25-years-of-persecution-chinese-regime-
    remains-laser-focused-on-falun-gong
  3. “Falun Gong: 25 Years of Persecution, 25 Years Too Long – Falun Dafa Information Center” –
    URL: faluninfo.net/falun-gong-25-years-of-persecution-25-years-too-long
  4. “Falun Dafa Information Center” –
    URL: faluninfo.net
  5. “China: Transnational Repression Origin Country Case Study” – freedomhouse.org/report/transnational-repression/china
    “Statistics & Evidence” –
    URL: faluninfo.net/key-statistics-related-to-falun-gong/
  6. “Judgment” – China Tribunal: Independent Tribunal into Forced Organ Harvesting from Prisoners of Conscience in China –
    URL: chinatribunal.com/final-judgment/
  7. “China: UN human rights experts alarmed by ‘organ harvesting’ allegations” – United Nations –
    URL: www.ohchr.org/en/pressreleases/2021/06/china-un-human-rights-experts-alarmed-organ-harvesting-allegations
  8. “Oxford University held training sessions attended by Chinese doctors accused of harvesting organs” – The Telegraph –
    URL: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/03/09/oxford-university-training-chinese-accused-organ-harvesters

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