Business as Usual under New Chinese Leadership

By Sumit Galhotra/CPJ Steiger Fellow

Almost two months have passed since President Xi Jinping took office. Despite expectations for greater transparency, Beijing continues to try to suppress information on a broad range of issues from human rights to public health.

Most recently, Sun Lin, a reporter for the U.S.-based Chinese-language news site Boxun, was detained after he filmed and circulated footage of a campaign in support of a dissident’s daughter who was forced out of her school in Hefei city in February. The campaign gained national attention through Chinese social media sites.

Guangzhou-based lawyer Sui Muqing told Radio Free Asia that police accused Sun of “blowing up” the campaign and that his footage had “created a bad impression overseas.” Sun was not told of any charges, nor was his family informed about his detention. The lawyer also said Sun had been beaten while in police custody. Sun was released on April 27, according to news reports.

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