In Xi’s China, even internal reports fall prey to censorship

By DAKE KANG
Associated Press

BEIJING (AP) — China’s ruling Communist Party has long relied on a critically important and secretive internal reporting system to learn about issues considered too sensitive for the public to know. But as Chinese leader Xi Jinping tightens censorship and consolidates his rule, Chinese academics and journalists say even this internal system is struggling to give frank assessments. They say with few channels of information, Beijing is increasingly making top-down decisions with little feedback from below, damaging China’s interests. It’s reflected in everything from China’s stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to its approach to the coronavirus.