The Chinese government plans to make its critics take “patriotism classes”

• In a bid to stifle dissent, the Communist Party of China is planning to make the country’s academics and scholars sit through patriotism classes.
  
• The campaign is aimed at intellectuals in universities, think tanks, state-owned companies and research institutes.
  
• It will include training programmes, symposiums on the Communist Party’s values and public service initiatives in underdeveloped areas.

It hasn’t been the easiest summer for China’s president, Xi Jinping. As concerns over a trade war with the US abound and economic growth slows, the leader of the Communist Party of China seems to be losing favour with public. A number of intellectuals have criticised his policies, especially in the wake of a scandal over faulty infant vaccines, and his tightening grip over the country.

But Jinping isn’t going anywhere, given that he abolished presidential term limits last year. And like any good authoritarian leader, he’s decided to quell public discontent through propaganda.

The Communist Party of China recently announced that it would make the country’s academics and scholars sit through classes to encourage patriotism and align their political views with those of the party.

The campaign is titled ““Carrying forward the spirit of patriotic striving and building up establishment in the new era”. It is aimed at intellectuals, young as well as middle-aged, in universities, think tanks, state-owned companies and research institutes. It will include training programmes, symposiums on the Communist Party’s values and public service initiatives in underdeveloped areas. Along with the classes, media organisations will ramp up their nationalistic content.

The Chinese President has made a number of statements in the past calling on the country’s intellectuals to contribute to China’s development and embrace the ideals of the Communist Party. The Chinese government is no stranger to public dissatisfaction and has routinely punished its critics by jailing them. Ahead of the party’s general meeting in October 2017, a number of security personnel were deployed across the country to silence critics.

While the “patriotism classes” could mark a softer approach to political dissent, it remains to be seen how they will be conducted and how intellectuals will be evaluated for their participation in the classes. Either way, it represents a worrying shift towards stifling the diversity of thought among the general public as well as a suppression of free will.

Here in India, it seems that the government is taking a page out of China’s playbook. It is reportedly planning a “National Youth Empowerment Scheme”, which will be targeted at youth in rural areas and include military training and classes on Indian values.