China has put security in place to try to reassure a nation on the Edge

The Chinese government is stepping up measures to root out potential troublemakers and curb social unrest, after a series of mass killings rocked the country and raised fears about public safety.

Armed police were stationed outside the school, and bollards were erected nearby to prevent cars from running into people. Police have increased patrols in shopping malls, tourist attractions and other crowded places, and have pledged to better regulate knives and other weapons. Officials also promised to help the unemployed and distribute aid to the needy at the festival.

The security push, dubbed “Operation Winter” by authorities in some places, follows a series of recent attacks that have again highlighted China’s struggling economy. In November, a driver drove into a crowd outside a sports complex in the city of Zhuhai, killing at least 35 people in China’s deadliest attack in a decade. A few weeks later there was a stabbing that killed eight people, and another car crash outside a school. In all three cases, officials said the perpetrators were expressing financial dissatisfaction.

After the Zhuhai attack, China’s leader, Xi Jinping, ordered officials to “absolutely prevent extreme cases”. Officials at all levels ran after it.

The drivers of the two car bombings were sentenced to death late last month in an unusually speedy trial that showed the government’s willingness to crack down on potential copycats.

Maintaining stability and control has long been one of the biggest preoccupations of the ruling Chinese Communist Party, an implicit justification for restricting civil liberties. . But that concern has become more central as youth unemployment, high levels of lockdowns and worsening international relations have raised concerns about China’s future. Some civil servants are not getting paid, because local government finances are declining.

Public protests, which are mainly linked to economic problems such as investment losses or unpaid wages, increased by 18 percent in the first 11 months of 2024, while compared to the previous year, according to an observer from Freedom House, a human rights group in Washington.

But Beijing has remained reluctant to strengthen the country’s social safety net or provide direct aid to consumers. Instead, it relied on more heavy-handed tactics to weed out those with grievances.

The central government has urged officials to ensure social stability during the holiday season, saying in a statement on December 27 that it should “investigate all disputes and hidden dangers and they are dangerous.”

In Yinchuan, a city in northwest China, police are investigating whether there have been incidents of bullying or conflict between teachers and students, according to news reports.

In Yancheng, in eastern China, police checked karaoke bars, rental houses and hotels for possible locations.

At a recent meeting of residents and local party officials in central Henan Province, police “encouraged everyone to actively report the conflicts and conflicts that have occurred there in town recently.” Under Mr. Xi’s leadership, the Chinese government has renewed calls for ordinary citizens to look out for each other.

The central government regularly issues directives on holiday safety. But this year, the guidelines for social stability were more detailed. They singled out places to watch – including campuses and sports facilities – and called on officials to monitor public opinion and provide “good guidance.”

Discussion of the attack, and economic discontent in general, was heavily censored. Relatives of the victims were also prevented from speaking to the press.

Economists and public commentators have suggested that the government should focus more on increasing consumer confidence, and provide stronger protection for individuals against financial difficulties. . The authorities sometimes accept these demands, as in their promises to fight the wages of migrant workers, or to give donations to the homeless or people with disabilities.

This month, many civil servants across the country have noticed that they have been given a sudden salary increase, according to chatter on social media, although the government has not issued an official statement.

However, many calls for greater reform have been censored, themselves seen as threatening social stability.

“They should have been looking for the power that made these people into beasts, but instead they ran away to investigate the ‘five losers,'” Li Chengpeng, a famous former Chinese journalist living overseas, wrote in the media. He referred to local government notices circulating on the Internet that led authorities to monitor people who suffered losses, such as jobs or investments.

However, the economic downturn that some people may be complaining about may make it difficult to maintain the safety measures.

Many local governments are already swimming in debt. They are now under great pressure to respond to Mr. Xi’s call to prevent mass incidents, but their money and energy will soon be strained, said Hongshen Zhu, an assistant professor at the Lingnan University in Hong Kong which studies Chinese management.

“As long as there are no new cases, the public safety priority for local governments will decrease until the next public complaint,” he said.