The Chinese government clamped down on activists and online media in the wake of the dramatic escape of a blind human-rights advocate from home imprisonment, an embarrassing development for Beijing that could complicate U.S.-China relations if he is found to be in U.S. protective custody.
At least three activists were detained following the escape last week of Chen Guangcheng, a legal advocate who has fought forced abortions under China’s one-child policy.
Meanwhile, popular Twitter-like microblogging service Sina Weibo blocked use of the words “blind man” and “UA898,” a United Airlines flight from Beijing to Washington that Mr. Chen was rumored to have taken out of China. News of his escape hasn’t appeared in major state-run media.
If there’s one thing that Chinese don’t like, it’s “losing face,” or looking bad in the eyes of others, and that’s not a bad trait, but as far as the government of the People’s Republic is concerned, it’s one of the worst things imaginable that can happen. They don’t like to have their dirty laundry exposed for all to see, and that’s why they’re one of the most oppressive regimes on the planet.