On this episode of China Uncensored,
Rumors of a coup?
Sounds like a coup for this show!
US China trade war?
Fake news!
And finally, why pollution in China is a good thing.
This is China Uncensored.
Hi, welcome to China Uncensored,
I’m your host Chris Chappell.
The rumor mill is churning in Beijing!
Word on the street is a coup attempt was launched
against Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
There were reports of gunfire near the heart of the capital…
...from anti-Xi groups trying to overthrow him.
But here’s where it gets really weird.
The rumors say that black rain frog and former
former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin,
had teamed up with wood face and former leader Hu Jintao
to overthrow Xi Jinping.
And THAT...is incredibly unlikely.
Hu Jintao was the head
of the Chinese Communist Party between Jiang and Xi.
Hu’s on first?
Xi’s on first!
Ok, now it’s just more confusing.
But anyway, before Xi Jinping became the leader of China,
there was Hu Jintao.
And before him, Jiang Zemin.
And before him, Deng Xiaoping.
Jiang Zemin was jealous that Hu Jintao
got to become the leader after him,
because Jiang didn’t get to pick his own successor.
So Jiang constantly tried to undermine Hu,
and also possibly tried to kill him that one time on a boat.
Unfortunately for Jiang, he didn’t manage to sink Hu’s battleship.
In any case, I think it’s safe to say Hu Jintao did not team up
with Jiang Zemin to overthrow Xi Jinping.
But rumors can be a powerful force in Chinese politics.
“Given the Party’s control over the media and the secretive
nature of its political processes,
gossip and rumours have long been the stuff
of informal comment on the issues of the day,
and the means by which alternative accounts of Party rule circulate.”
In fact, this latest incident isn’t even the first time rumors
of a coup against Xi Jinping have circulated.
Shortly after Xi Jinping was appointed
Chairman of the Communist Party in 2012,
there were rumors there were gunshots heard in Beijing
and that officials tied to Jiang Zemin tried to stage a coup.
And while the actual gunshots were never confirmed, years later,
a Party official publicly said that several people in Jiang’s
faction did try to get rid of Xi Jinping.
All those people are coincidentally now in prison.
Funny how that happens.
So will these latest rumors be confirmed?
I don’t think so.
It’s next to impossible for there to be a Jiang-Hu alliance.
But, another attempt by Jiang’s faction to stage a coup,
that is possible.
One thing the rumors do show though,
is that the factional struggle within the Chinese Communist Party
is alive and well.
Can’t wait for the next episode of General Hostility.
So those coup rumors may just be lies.
But you know who else is good at lies?
The US!
You see, according to Chinese state-run media the People’s Daily,
...the idea that China steals US technology is totally made up.
What the US is really doing, is trying
to “demonize China and fool the world.”
Yeah, where does the US get the idea
that China steals American technology?
I know those fighter jets look almost the same,
but actually they’re slightly different...
...the way these two action figures are slightly different.
And that’s truly special.
Speaking of US lies, did you know the US case
against Chinese trade is fake news?
That’s according to Yu Yongding, of the Chinese state-run
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences,
and member of the People’s Bank of China.
He says Chinese firms would never steal US technology.
They don’t need to.
They have so much money.
He goes on to say that no one wins a trade war.
Except China.
China will win this trade war.
Last week we talked about Apple installing
Chinese censorship programming
in every single iPhone they make.
Well, Apple carries on its tradition
of one-upping its previous innovations.
Because now, Apple is handing all of the iCloud data
for Chinese users to a Chinese state-run telecom company.
The move was praised by my favorite
Chinese state-run media, the Global Times.
But the good news is, this will never affect
iCloud users outside of China.
Right?
Moving on.
China’s pollution levels have hit a record high.
I know that sounds bad.
But it’s actually great news!
You see, according to the latest research,
trees in Beijing actually grow quicker thanks to all the pollution.
In fact, if pollution actually went down,
“more trees would have to be planted to help absorb
the greenhouse gases that cause global warming.”
So fighting pollution will actually make global warming worse.
By the way, that study was funded by the Chinese government.
The study also found that swallowing the lies from Chinese state media
is very nutritious and will keep you full all day,
without packing on the pounds.
So what do you think?
Leave your comments below.
And before you go, it’s time to answer questions from fans
who support China Uncensored with dollars
on the crowd funding website Patreon.
Jeremy Lim asks,
“Is there any hope left for a real Hong Kong democracy?”
Jeremy, you don’t consider choosing between three politicians
selected by the Chinese Communist Party real democracy?
One of the agreements the Chinese Communist Party
made with the UK for the handover of Hong Kong,
was that in just a few short years,
they’d have universal suffrage,
and could directly vote for their Chief Executive.
Well, that date kept getting pushed back.
And back.
Then the Communist Party finally said, ok,
you can have your universal suffrage,
but first we get to pick the candidates.
That’s what sparked the 2014 Hong Kong Umbrella Movement.
Where I got to see Hong Kong democracy up close.
To give the Party credit,
they realized that wasn’t a good idea.
So they just went back to the old system,
where a small group of influential citizens,
mostly with ties to the Communist Party,
get to choose the Chief Executive.
But hey, at least Hongkongers still get to vote
for their legislative members, right?
Until democratically elected lawmakers started getting purged…
And thrown in jail...
And disqualified from running in elections…
I’d say Hong Kong is winding up with less democracy
than it had at the end of British rule in the 90s.
Thanks for your question Jeremy.
I’m now depressed.
Wait a minute!
All I need to do is think of the amazing support
of all the fans of the show!
That chases the clouds away.
Remember, China Uncensored is made possible by the support
from my amazing fans.
So I’m asking, if you’re able,
consider supporting China Uncensored
through our Patreon website.
You’ll have a chance to get your questions answered on the show,
and get some neat stuff for your support.
Once again, thanks for watching this episode of China Uncensored.
I’m your host Chris Chappell.
See you next time.
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