Recently, in Xixian County, Henan Province, human rights activist Xing Wangli was once again criminally detained. Human rights activist Xing Jian believes that this is partly due to the stability maintenance during the “Two Sessions” and also involves cross-border suppression, compelling overseas human rights activists, which he describes as a form of “white terror”.
On the morning of February 18, at around 7 a.m., Xing Wangli, a human rights activist in Xixian County, was lured to the Huaihe Street Police Station by personnel from the local neighborhood committee and the Huaihe Subdistrict Office. Chen Wanyi, a police officer from the Xixian County Public Security Bureau’s public security team, along with several officers in riot gear, handcuffed Xing Wangli and sent him to the Xixian County Detention Center that same afternoon on suspicion of provocation and causing trouble, resulting in his criminal detention.
Xing Jian, the son of Xing Wangli, came across this news after work and found it unbelievable because his father had only been released from prison less than a year ago in April last year, after enduring imprisonment.
Prior to the incident, several local petitioners had stayed overnight at Xing’s home. The next morning, as Xing Wangli escorted them out of the house, an elderly woman in her eighties named Yu Jun was pushed to the ground by a stability maintenance personnel from the township as they reached the roadside.
Xing Wangli recorded the situation at the scene and shared the video in a family group chat. The video showed that it was still dark outside with multiple stability maintenance personnel present. Yu Jun, leaning on a cane, was walking on the side of the road when a person blocking her path caused her to lose balance and fall to the ground, crying for help.
Yu Jun was later released and went to the Xixian County Petition Office to seek justice for Xing Wangli. Internal sources revealed that Xing Wangli was detained for “illegal gathering”. However, Xing Jian believes that his father’s arrest was targeted.
“On one hand, it is related to the stability maintenance during the ‘Two Sessions’ as the petitioners were planning to head north; on the other hand, it is connected to my overseas protest activities, which are part of the CCP’s cross-border repression,” he said. “They couldn’t control me directly, so they chose to target my family. Any interaction he (father) has is labeled as a ‘crime’, and it’s now a form of white terror.”
Xing Jian mentioned an incident in June last year when he was attacked by a pro-China individual during an interview in New Zealand, where his glasses were knocked off. He has been vocal in the local media in New Zealand, with reports appearing in mainstream outlets like Stuff and TV3.
“I was surrounded by five or six people, including the chairman of the United Front Work Department Beijing Branch in New Zealand. This was confirmed through video footage. When I fell to the ground, he kicked me,” Xing Jian said.
He stated that during that period, videos and photos of some individuals protesting against Li Qiang were circulated in mainland China, leading to threats against their families in China. “This is the CCP’s infiltration, both domestically and internationally,” he added.
Xing Jian revealed that the Director of Public Security Bureau in Xixian had also contacted his father, Xing Wangli, asking if they were in touch. However, his father did not respond to the inquiry.
In November last year, members of the New Zealand Values Alliance went to Wellington to submit a petition urging the government to enact the Foreign Agent Registration Act to prevent CCP infiltration. Xing Jian participated in the petitioning activities and was interviewed by the media.
“The CCP is too arrogant, acting recklessly in New Zealand. Their various infiltrations into New Zealand are deeply concerning. Economically, militarily, they have posed a certain threat to New Zealand’s national security,” Xing Jian said, expressing confidence in the high likelihood of the Anti-CCP Infiltration Bill being passed.
“This will first deter some CCP collaborators, increase penalties for those who violate the law, further protect New Zealand’s national security, as well as safeguard the interests of the New Zealand people in terms of universal values and national principles, all of which are crucial,” he emphasized.
Xing Wangli and his son, Xing Jian, are well-known human rights activists in Xixian County, Henan Province. Their relentless pursuit of justice began after Xing Jian, at the age of seven, was involved in a traffic accident. The local government mishandled the incident and embezzled compensation, leading the family to engage in persistent rights protection efforts. Throughout the years, Xing Wangli and his family have been repeatedly detained and sentenced, with Xing Jian narrowly escaping international arrest while fleeing to Thailand before being rescued and resettled in New Zealand in January 2020.
Following the protest against Li Qiang, Xing Jian faced acts of vandalism, such as feces being thrown at his door, suspicious ice-like substances resembling drugs being placed in his mailbox, and his car tires being slashed.
“Sometimes my mother worries about me encountering issues here. I haven’t spoken much about the incident where I was attacked protesting against Li Qiang, fearing it might escalate. Occasionally, I show the videos to my father,” Xing Jian explained.
Xing Jian shared a video with Stuff journalist Paula Penfold testing DeepSeek’s censorship program. In the video, when Paula asked, “Do you know about the case of the human rights activist Xing Jian from New Zealand?” DeepSeek replied, “I’m sorry, I can’t answer that question. I am an artificial intelligence assistant designed to provide useful and harmless responses.”
Paula then inquired, “Can you give me a harmless response? About the protester Jian Xing who was assaulted during Li Qiang’s visit to Auckland.” At this point, DeepSeek malfunctioned. Initially showing information about Jian Xing being a human rights activist allegedly assaulted during a protest against Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s visit to Auckland, the answers quickly vanished from the screen, replaced with, “Sorry, this is beyond my current scope of work. Let’s talk about something else.”
Now, Xing Jian has decided to expose the information about corrupt police officers in Xixian County, starting with publicizing the personal information and criminal records of Chen Wanyi, a police officer from the Xixian County public security team.
“I first heard this name back in 2014, and it was always associated with my father’s arrests, actively involving in framing my family for many years. The corrupt officers’ files I’ve compiled are all based on facts and records,” Xing Jian stated. “I want to gather all the information and hope they stop their wrongdoings.”
In addition to multiple arrests of Xing Wangli, Chen Wanyi was also reported by his classmate Wang Jing for suspected crimes including illegal profiteering, unlawful business practices, and ties to criminal organizations.
Attempts to contact Chen Wanyi for comments on the reasons for detaining Xing Wangli and responding to the allegations were declined as both of his phones were not answered.