Recently, Chinese rights activist Zhang Hai revealed that he was interrogated by the police about the purpose of purchasing two fruit knives through an online shopping platform. Zhang Hai criticized this as comprehensive surveillance against him.
According to Radio Free Asia, on January 22, Zhang Hai, a resident of Shenzhen, stated that he bought two fruit knives through the Pinduoduo online platform and was questioned by the police from the Nanshan Police Station of the Shenzhen Public Security Bureau: “Why did you buy knives?”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Zhang Hai lost his father to the virus, which led him to embark on the path of defending rights, suing the government of Hubei Province and Wuhan City, demanding the public disclosure of the truth about pandemic-related deaths. However, the court refused to accept his case. Two years ago, he was secretly arrested by the authorities for publicly supporting a gathering of Wuhan residents online to demand adequate medical care. He was sentenced to 1 year and 3 months in prison on charges of “provoking trouble” and was released on May 19 of last year upon completing his sentence.
Zhang Hai was very dissatisfied with the police interrogation. He said, “If you can openly sell them, I should be able to openly buy them. If not, why don’t you just crack down on these fruit knives?” He questioned why others can purchase knives online while he cannot.
He pointed out that the customer phone numbers on platforms like Taobao and Pinduoduo in China are real-name registered, with actual addresses. Even when buying knives in a mall, he has to register. He criticized this as a form of comprehensive surveillance over the people.
However, the spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lin Jian, claimed in a press conference in November last year that China is one of the safest countries in the world with one of the lowest crime rates. This led Zhang Hai to question why the Nanshan Police Station in Shenzhen is so nervous about a resident buying an 11-centimeter fruit knife if it’s so safe.
Mr. Zhu, a resident of Suzhou, also mentioned that the police restrictions on the public are pervasive in daily life, but when someone’s child goes missing, they are nowhere to be found. He criticized that for their needs, the police selectively enforce the law.
Mr. Liu from Qingdao, Shandong Province also stated that recently, there have been frequent incidents of vicious retaliation and mass incidents across China, with authorities being overly vigilant. Whether shopping or traveling, every move of the Chinese people is under the surveillance of relevant departments.
He expressed that it is under this high pressure that some people who have long felt social injustices and cannot alleviate their psychological stress, ultimately leading to some social tragedies.