Chinese police have a new plan to crack down on illegal activity:
Rip people off their scooters,
and confiscate their vehicles.
What’s really behind it?
Welcome to China Uncensored, I’m Chris Chappell.
This episode has been sponsored by Surfshark—because you should be protecting your identity whenever
you go online by using a VPN like Surfshark.
The Chinese Communist Party seeks to create a harmonious society.
And for them, “harmonious” means highly regulated, tightly controlled, and most importantly,
looking perfect on the surface.
Which is why when Party officials see this, it’s just not ok.
Chaotic intersections?
We can’t have that.
So should we install functioning traffic lights?
Assign police to direct traffic?
No!
The problem is all those poor people riding scooters and motorbikes.
We can’t have this.
Or this.
Arrest them!
Haha, no seriously.
Arrest them.
Recently, officials in Dongguan city—which is here, in Guangdong province—have tried
to harmonize the city streets...
...with a large-scale seizure of scooters and motorcycles.
Yes, the Public Security Bureau ordered its police to break into people’s homes and
snag their vehicles.
“Many motorcycles driving on the streets or parked in front of residents’ homes were
seized by the police.
Delivery men came out of the door to find out their vehicles have been towed away by
the police.”
In the past couple weeks, a surge of videos showing Chinese police taking parked motorcycles
off the street began circulating on the internet.
They would even take the motorcycles right off people’s property, without giving any
notice.
What if you’re already on your motorcycle?
Don’t worry!
Police can solve that problem for you.
I wonder why this guy is speeding away from the police.
He should really just pull over, and let the police take his bike away.
What if you refuse to get off your scooter?
Police can solve that problem, too.
There’s lots of policemen and only one of you.
And frankly, most people whose motorcycles
are being taken aren’t so lucky.
“You dare fight back?
You dare fight back?”
Yeah, how dare he fight back!
What, does he think he owns his own property?
This is communist China, comrade.
“This is not your motorcycle.
This is the Nation’s motorcycle!”
Your motorcycle belongs to the people!
And by the people, we mean us, the police.
Truly, this is for your own protection.
And it’s important your children understand this, too.
Maybe you can just push your kids in a wheelbarrow instead.
Unsurprisingly, this mass and arbitrary seizure of motorcycles left some people feeling hopeless.
“Tragic.
Went to buy some stuff, and I lost a bike.”
And it’s left others furious.
“How come you law enforcement can have motorcycles?
Why don’t you walk?”
“Our motorcycles are stolen right from our homes.
Tell me how can I live like this?
Tell me the reason for this.
I’m scared to go out because my motorcycle will be taken.”
For a lot of people in China, their motorcycle or scooter is their livelihood.
Like if you’re a delivery worker, and police decide they want to take your scooter...and
also your cargo.
This delivery boy is threatening to commit suicide because police are taking his scooter—and
without it he loses his way to make a living.
So what’s really driving Chinese authorities’ push to seize people’s scooters and motorcycles?
I’ll get to that after the break.
Welcome back.
At the end of March, the city of Dongguan organized a police gathering, instructing
them to confiscate “illegal” scooters and motorcycles from civilians.
Now, it’s true that some of these vehicles are unregistered or aren’t compliant.
But if that were the real problem, there’d be a much easier and less brutal way to solve
it.
Officially, this new policy—or you might call it a “political campaign”—was triggered
after two traffic accidents involving motorcycles in Dongguan killed three people.
Plus, “As of mid-March, there have been 15 motorcycle accidents and 17 deaths in the
city this year.
From 2018 to 2020, 814 people were killed in traffic accidents involving motorcycles
and electric bicycles in Dongguan, accounting for up to 48% of the total number of traffic
accidents.”
And in several other big cities in China, motorcycles and/or scooters are also banned
or regulated for reasons I mentioned earlier.
Officials claim it’s in the interest of public safety.
Because Chinese officials truly care about the safety of the people.
Whether it’s pedestrians...
Street vendors...
and especially children.
They always think of the children.
But surprisingly, not everyone believes these latest motorcycle seizures *are* really about
safety.
Some citizens suspect the policy is used to “clean up” the streets by getting poor
people out of the public view.
When police confiscate the scooters and motorcycles, they often say they don’t meet regulations,
or they’re unlicensed.
In Dongguan, “more than 90% of the local motorcycles and electric vehicles have no
license plates.”
But when a reporter called the Dongguan city government hotline to find documents with
rules for confiscating vehicles, the operator said “It is not clear whether this operation
has any relevant documents to reveal.”
And the local police said, “Once the latest legal regulations are confirmed, they will
be announced through official channels as soon as possible.”
So, take people’s stuff first, and then make the rules that give you permission to
have taken it.
Perfect.
So what happens to all the confiscated scooters and motorcycles?
Some videos show motorcycles getting crushed and recycled in junkyards.
But it seems there’s more to it.
This photo shows a ticket for 1,200 RMB—about $180.
It was given to a citizen who requested their motorcycle be returned.
So some people believe this whole confiscation policy is just a way for local authorities
to make money.
They take your bike, and you have to pay them to get it back.
It’s like the Mafia, only it’s the police.
There’s rows and rows of confiscated vehicles.
Looks like a cash cow to me.
And a sign of a truly harmonious society.
And this episode is sponsored by Surfshark.
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Once again, I’m Chris Chappell.
See you next time.