The following words, spoken by Qiu Qiming on China’s state TV, provoked a storm of support on the Chinese blogosphere: “If nobody can be safe, do we want this speed? Can we live in apartments that do not fall down? Can the roads we drive on in our cities not collapse? Can we travel in safe trains? And if there is a major accident can we not be in a hurry to bury the trains? Can we afford the people a basic sense of security?”
News anchor Qiming asked some key questions that were, judging from the social media reaction to his statements, shared by other Chinese citizens. He was referring to the crash in Wenzhou province between two trains that left around 190 injured and 39 dead. The crash provoked widespread concern in China and the Communist party’s attempts to dampen the public scrutiny has provoked protest.
Shortly after the accident, the propaganda bureau’s “guidance” for journalists was that they should neither look into the causes behind the crash nor “question” the official version of the story. The official version of the accident’s story blamed lightning as the cause. Along these lines, wreckage and other evidence were buried and compensation claims denied initially.
Increasingly, the Communist Party views its legitimacy as arising from or depending on its ability to produce jobs, growth, and modernity. The high-speed rail system is one jewel of this series of claims. Any news that puts a black mark on the party’s ability weakens party credibility.
Qiu Qiming’s statement was hardly a lone episode of outrage, over 26 million tweets and blog posts were made questioning the crash’s events. Although most didn’t criticize the community party, there was a sense that a line had been crossed by the Party’s handling of the crash. Even the party mouthpiece, the People’s Daily declared that China’s high GPD figures cannot be generated by “blood-smeared” means. It appears another faction of the Party has taken over regarding this matter and insurance claims are not being paid and the hunt for the people behind the accident has started in earnest. The Party seeks to appear to be on the people’s side as quickly as possible.
