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5 things to know about China's crackdown on critics

Beijing vows to end corruption – but on its own terms.

5. What has been the US response, and is it likely to have an effect?

There is much bark and little bite to the American response to China's dealings with its dissidents. On July 30 and 31, for instance, the two countries met for an annual human rights summit in Kunming, China, where the United States voiced alarm at recent actions by the Chinese government. But Beijing quickly rejected the charges, and its Foreign Ministry responded in a statement that human rights in China were at a historic high – though they needed to be expressed within the laws.

Meanwhile, the state-run news agency Xinhua published an editorial calling government critics "slaves of the West" and "traitorous online activists," threatening to heap "humiliating disaster on China."

Human rights activists say this bodes ill for government tolerance of divergent views; some observers suggest Xi is cracking down politically to maintain order as he prepares economic reforms, but there is no sign of political reform.

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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