Anti-communism in China

Anti-communism in China has a long history. Before the Chinese Communist Revolution, anti-communist policies were implemented by the Kuomintang (KMT) and conservative warlords. Today, anti-communism in mainland China and among overseas Chinese is sometimes associated with protest movements and support for liberal democracy.

Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Kuomintang, also known as the Chinese Nationalist Party, led by Chiang Kai-shek, was ruling China and strongly opposed the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). On 12 April 1927, Chiang Kai-shek purged the communists in what was known as the Shanghai massacre which led to the Chinese Civil War.^[1] The Kuomintang received support from fascist organizations within China such as the Blue Shirts Society, as well as external support from powers like Nazi Germany, which aided the Kuomintang heavily. The New Life Movement pushed by the Kuomintang was in opposition to the Communist movement, and had fascist tendencies.^[2] Initially, the Kuomintang had success in suppressing the CCP until a full-scale invasion of China by Japan forced both the Nationalists and the CCP into an alliance.^{[citation needed]}

To suppress CCP activities, Chiang's spymaster Dai Li employed extra-judicial means including assassination, arbitrary arrests, and torture, with Chiang's explicit or tacit approval.^[3]

On 28 February 1947 the Kuomintang had cracked down on an anti-government communist^{[citation needed]} uprising in Taiwan, a former Qing province-turned-Japanese colony ruled from 1895 to 1945, known as the February 28 incident and the government began the White Terror in Taiwan to purge the communist spies to prevent Chinese communist subversion.^[4] On July 15, 1947, Document 0744 ordered the CCP and its People's Liberation Army to be called "Communist bandits".^[5] After the war, the two parties were thrown back into a civil war. The Kuomintang were defeated in the mainland and retreated to Taiwan while the rest of mainland China became Communist in 1949.

Democracy movements have been loosely organized in the People's Republic of China. The movement began during the Beijing Spring in 1978 and it also played an important role in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre. The 1959 Tibetan uprising had some anti-communist leanings.^[6] In the 1990s, the movement underwent a decline both within China and overseas. It is currently fragmented, and most analysts do not consider it a serious threat to CCP rule.^{[citation needed]}

Charter 08 is a manifesto which was signed by over 303 Chinese intellectuals and human rights activists who seek to promote political reform and democratization in the People's Republic of China.^[7] It calls for greater freedom of expression and free elections. It was published on 10 December 2008, the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Its name is a reference to Charter 77 which was issued by dissidents in Czechoslovakia.^[8] Since its release, the charter has been signed by more than 8,100 people both inside and outside of China.^[9][10]

Before 1997, most of the anti-communists were supporters of the Kuomintang.^{[citation needed]} They opposed the CCP's rule in mainland China and its single party dictatorship.^{[citation needed]}

Hong Kong has had numerous anti-CCP protests, supported by political parties of the pro-democracy camp. Memorials for the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre have held every year in Hong Kong.^{[needs update]} Tens of thousands of people have attended the candlelight vigil.^[11]

The end of the failed 2014 Hong Kong protests marked a novel and intensified wave of moderate nationalism in the territory. Localists have fiercely opposed CCP rule since the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997, with some calling for independence from China. This culminated in the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests and the subsequent passing of the Hong Kong national security law, which continued the gradual integration of Hong Kong with mainland China.^{[citation needed]}

After the Great Retreat, the Republic of China (Taiwan) government remained anti-communist and attempted to recover the mainland from the Communist forces. During the Cold War, the Republic of China was known as Free China^[12] while the People's Republic of China on the mainland China was known as Red China^[13] or Communist China in the West, to mark the ideological difference between the Free World and Communist Socialist World. The Republic of China government also actively supported anti-communist efforts in Southeast Asia and around the world. This effort did not cease until the death of Chiang Kai-shek in 1975.^[14]

Even though contacts between Kuomintang and CCP had existed since the 1990s to re-establish cross-strait relations, the Kuomintang continues to be opposed to communism, as anti-communism is written under Article 2 of Kuomintang's party charter.^[15]

Some Taiwanese nationalists are also described as "anti-communist" (i.e., Democratic Progressive Party, Taiwan Statebuilding Party, etc.) . Anti-communist sentiments of Taiwanese nationalists are somewhat complicated; they are opposed to the CCP out of opposition to Chinese nationalism rather than right-wing anti-communist ideology itself.^{[citation needed]}

Taiwanese nationalism is differs in detail. Seeing all Taiwanese nationalists as part of 'anti-communism in China' could be controversial. Some moderate Taiwanese nationalists ("ROC independence") accept the Republic of China as part of their country's "state/national identity," while supporters of "Taiwan independence" deny Chinese identity and only defend Taiwanese identity.^{[citation needed]}

• Democratic Progressive Party (1986–present)
• Kuomintang (1919–1992) – it was reliably anti-communist until 1992 Consensus, but has since improved relations with the PRC and is opposed to Taiwanese independence.^[16][17]
  • Blue Shirts Society (1932–1938)
  • Western Hills Group (1925–1931)
• Taiwan Statebuilding Party (2016–present)

• Democracy Party of China (1998–present, banned)
• Union of Chinese Nationalists (2004–present, banned)

• Apple Daily (1995–2021)
• Democratic Alliance (2003–2021)
• Hong Kong and Kowloon Trades Union Council (1948–present)

• The Epoch Times (2000–present)
• Shen Yun (2006–present)
• Shanghai National Party (2018–present)