Recently, the Chinese Ministry of Finance held a press conference announcing that “Central finance has allocated 67 billion yuan in employment subsidies.” The online public opinion has been questioning where the money went since many unemployed individuals claimed they have not received any subsidies and demanded for transparency in the allocation of funds. Subsequently, Weibo restricted the search for relevant hot topics, even setting the reading and discussion counts to zero to decrease the topic’s popularity.
On October 12th (Saturday), Minister of Finance, Lan Fo’an, introduced at a press conference at the State Council Information Office that this year, the central finance has allocated 67 billion yuan in employment subsidies to support local efforts in employment for key groups such as college graduates and vocational skills training.
Following this, the hashtag #CentralFinanceAllocated67BillionEmploymentSubsidies quickly trended on Weibo. However, Weibo controlled the heat of the topic by limiting access for non-Weibo users to view the content. Additionally, for those searching for related content through specific keywords, Weibo displayed the related micro-topic “Central finance allocated 67 billion yuan for employment subsidies” with zero reading and discussion counts to intentionally reduce the topic’s traction.
Dr. Lai Rongwei, Executive Director of the Taiwan Association for Self-Improvement, who has long been concerned about cross-strait relations and China’s development, mentioned in an interview with Epoch Times that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) boasts about its achievements but does not tolerate criticisms. He noted that while the CCP claims to have implemented these subsidy policies and acknowledged the issues, they do not allow for any unfounded criticisms.
He analyzed that this topic touches upon the economic and social structures of the entire China, also involves the stability of the CCP regime. Therefore, the CCP fears that public opinion may diverge from the intended narrative. Initially, they aimed to promote the bright side of the economy to society, but if public discussion spirals out of control, it could turn into an attack against the central authority. Thus, they maintain the information on social media while suppressing excessive discussions.
Regarding the subsidies, Dr. Lai highlighted how it raises concerns about the welfare of various societal strata. Questions arise about whether the central government allocated the funds, if local governments executed the subsidies seriously, if there was any embezzlement, etc. The complexity of fund sourcing, utilization, and flow involves various aspects, making it understandable for the public to raise doubts.
He cited Taiwan as an example, emphasizing the importance of public scrutiny not just through parliamentary oversight but also media and civil society supervision. A transparent and respectful dialogue between the government and its citizens is essential, respecting each individual’s dignity and their right to voice opinions. Failure to do so may result in direct consequences, even dismissal.
He emphasized that many Chinese citizens are indoctrinated with party ideology, with the CCP’s parliament functioning as a rubber stamp, and the media serving the party’s interests. Civil society voices are weak, and therefore, many have to speak out from overseas.
As the Chinese economy declines and youth unemployment remains high, Chongqing in July this year exported a large number of university graduates to the Middle East for employment, raising concerns about student safety risks.
Official data shows that in 2024, China had a record high of 11.79 million university graduates. According to a May report by Zhaopin Recruitment Platform titled “2024 University Employment Capability Survey,” only 48% of graduates received informal employment notifications by mid-April, indicating a worse situation compared to the previous year.