Social Stability

A Taiwanese graduate student at Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine says rumors circulate on campus about “professional students,” people who allegedly pose as students to monitor and report on others. Liu Minghao, a pseudonym, told Radio Free Asia he cannot identify who they are, but teachers have privately warned Taiwanese students to be careful in class and avoid sensitive topics.

Liu said political and public issues are restricted in class discussions, and some controversial social events rarely make it into teaching. He said the suspected informants look like ordinary students who attend class, eat in the canteen and join outdoor activities. Classmates in Shanghai and Hangzhou told him cameras have been installed in their classrooms. A friend studying media in Beijing was disappointed to find that many contentious issues could not be discussed even in journalism classes. Liu contrasted this with Taiwan, where students can freely criticize government officials.

A Shanghai-based man surnamed Peng, who has a legal background, said he had not heard of such students but considered it plausible, noting that young people have historically initiated major protests. Activist Lu Jun said that, whatever the truth of the rumors, surveillance is pervasive, citing big data, street cameras and nationalist students, and argued that the climate leaves people afraid to speak honestly.

Liu said mainland students are not incapable of independent thinking but rarely discuss politics, which he attributed to an education system that discourages dissent. Most of those who follow current affairs study journalism or media.

He added that campus life centers on grades and internships. Some students aim from the start for postgraduate recommendation, while others begin interning off campus in their second year and attend class only for exams and presentations. Clubs carry little weight with employers compared with internship experience.

Citing China’s economic slowdown, Liu said postgraduate degrees are less attractive and jobs are hard to find. He may try working on the mainland first but expects to return to Taiwan long term.

Source: Radio Free Asia, October 13, 2026
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/shehui/2026/10/13/china-nanjing-university-taiwan-students-professional-students/

A new concept dubbed the “slave labor theory” has spread across Chinese internet platforms such as Zhihu since September, satirizing low-wage, exploitative working environments. According to Singapore’s Lianhe Zaobao, the theory holds that no matter how advanced a system appears, if even one link relies on “slave labor” practices, the entire system will inevitably deliver low-quality products or services, an application of the “barrel effect,” in which the shortest stave determines how much a barrel can hold. The term refers to low wages, oppressive management and layers of outsourcing.

Netizens cited a collision and fire at a Chinese supercar championship in Shanghai on September 5 as an example. After a car driven by a British driver crashed and caught fire, rescuers reportedly dropped their extinguishers and fled out of fear of the flames, while the ambulance allegedly did not arrive until 15 minutes after being notified, reportedly because its driver had fallen asleep.

Hong Kong 01 reported that many staff at the event were temporary hires lacking systematic training and practical experience. Some claimed on-site workers were security guards hired through multiple layers of outsourcing, paid 60 yuan (about US$8.40) a day. One commenter asked whether anyone could expect such workers to risk their lives for a few dozen yuan.

Netizens also pointed to restaurant kitchen staff spitting in food and café employees clashing with customers, arguing that no matter how upscale a brand appears, long-term high pressure or low pay among intermediate-level staff can severely damage its image.

The report noted that such internet “theories” have proliferated in China in recent years, mostly reflecting the anxieties of young people at the bottom of society. Last year, three such theories went viral: influencer Hu Chenfeng’s “Apple-Android theory,” which sorts people and things by phone operating system and implies foreign products are superior; the “sexual repression theory,” which attributes ordinary relationship problems to sexual repression; and the “laborer all-in theory,” which criticizes some men’s willingness to bankrupt themselves to marry and have children.

On September 22 last year, Chinese authorities launched a “Qinglang” online cleanup campaign targeting content that stirs up negative emotions. The three theories were hit first, with related terms and topics blocked and accounts such as Hu Chenfeng’s banned.

Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), October 4, 2026
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202610040161.aspx

Beijing has escalated its already strict drone regulations to an unprecedented level, announcing a comprehensive ban on flying, storing, and transporting drones anywhere within the city’s administrative boundaries. The new rule takes effect November 15.

Under the regulation, the entire municipality is designated a no-drone zone. No individual or organization may fly, possess, store, or transport drones or their core components within Beijing. Anyone who has previously stored drone equipment in the city must relocate it outside Beijing before the deadline. Residents who own drones can either carry them out of the city themselves or use buyback and disposal services the city is offering. Those who fail to comply face confiscation and fines.

Beijing had already banned drone flights without special permits and, since May 2026, banned drone sales within its jurisdiction, requiring real-name registration for existing owners. The new rule goes further by eliminating even private possession.

Drones have become widely popular in China in recent years, used both by tourists for recreation and by professionals for work. Andrew Yang, a former U.S. defense official now at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, said the total ban reflects how politically sensitive the issue is for Beijing and how central it is to the Communist Party’s pursuit of absolute security.

The move follows a rare incident on June 26, when a light tourist aircraft struck one of Beijing’s tallest skyscrapers, killing the pilot and injuring 13 people, raising concerns about security gaps. Analysts also note the ban comes a year before the Communist Party’s 21st National Congress, with Zhongnanhai—the seat of China’s top party and government leadership—located in central Beijing, heightening pressure to guarantee absolute safety for leaders.

Source: Radio France International, September 14, 2026
https://rfi.my/D2xO

China will implement new exit-management regulations at all border checkpoints starting September 15, imposing stricter controls on residents leaving the country. According to sources cited by Radio Free Asia, the rules introduce a “whoever approves bears responsibility” system: civil servants, state enterprise and public institution staff—including university faculty, doctors, listed company executives—and university students must obtain approval before traveling abroad. If an approved traveler overstays or fails to return, the official who signed off faces accountability.

A source in China’s financial sector described a hierarchical approval chain, with department heads needing approval from bureau chiefs, and so on up the chain. Financial institution and public hospital department heads are reportedly limited to one overseas trip per year.

An insider said the new rules formalize restrictions that had already existed internally, adding fresh limits on financial, research, and student travel—responding to concerns about tech talent and data outflows affecting China’s AI development.

Reports describe university students being blocked from planned trips: one video showed a student stopped at Nanning airport after a scanner flagged her; she said her visa was cancelled and her phone, chat records, and bank statements were searched, and that her entire university of roughly 60,000 students had been restricted from leaving China due to another student’s overstay in Spain.

Separately, Chinese nationals working or living abroad—including in Singapore and the U.S.—reported being contacted by local police demanding passports, employment proof, photos, and real-time location sharing. A Hubei lawyer suggested the crackdown may relate to declining birth rates and concerns over talent and asset flight.

Source: Radio Free Asia, September 3, 2026
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/shehui/2026/09/03/china-entry-and-exit-management-regulations-capital-fleeing-technology-and-talent-outflow-strict-approval-processing/

China’s Civil Aviation Administration has proposed new background-screening requirements for aviation license holders and other civil aviation personnel, citing national and aviation security concerns. The proposal follows a small aircraft crash at Beijing’s China Zun skyscraper in June.

The draft covers eight types of aviation licenses, including private, commercial, airline transport, and unmanned-aircraft pilot licenses, as well as flight and ground personnel such as flight attendants. Applicants must have no criminal record, terrorism- or drug-related violations, recent administrative detention, or involvement in organizations prohibited by the state.

For several pilot licenses, background checks would also extend to spouses, parents, and siblings, who must not have certain national-security, terrorism, or drug-related convictions or involvement in banned organizations. Those who fail the checks could be denied licenses and airport access, with background assessments conducted on an ongoing basis. Public comments on the proposal are being accepted through September 4.

Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), August 23, 2026
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202608230145.aspx

The low-budget Chinese animated film Niulai (牛来) has unexpectedly become a box-office phenomenon, largely because audiences consider it exceptionally poorly made. Released on August 5, the 86-minute film earned only RMB 7,169 (US$1,067) in its first nine days. But curiosity, online mockery, and viral memes subsequently drove audiences into theaters. By August 24, its cumulative box office had reportedly reached about RMB 45.2 million (US$6.3 million), while Maoyan’s professional platform projected a final total of around RMB 119 million (US$16.6 million).

The film tells the story of a young calf named “Niulai” and a leopard named “Baola.” Its crude 3D modeling, stiff animation, and seemingly illogical dubbing have become the focus of online jokes. The film was reportedly produced almost entirely by a mother-and-son team over five years, with the son handling directing, modeling, editing, and dubbing, while his mother handled the screenplay and additional dubbing. Industry estimates put the production cost at only several thousand to tens of thousands of yuan.

The film has generated a wave of online parody and remixing, with Chinese netizens creating spin-offs such as Malai, Goulai, Xionglai, and Lv Lai, featuring horses, dogs, bears, and donkeys, respectively.

Some political commentators interpret the phenomenon as more than simple entertainment, arguing that audiences may be expressing fatigue with the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) heavily promoted patriotic and political narratives and seeking a channel of non-mainstream expression. Others attribute its popularity primarily to its unusual production story, poor but genuine amateur quality, comedic effect, and the power of online meme culture.

Source: Epoch Times, August 20, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/8/20/n14833144.htm