China Marks 70 Years of Communism
AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein
We ran the numbers: There are 879 news articles covering this topic. 50% (442) are left leaning, 22% (196) center, 27% (241) right leaning.
On Tuesday, China celebrated the Chinese Communist Party’s 70th year in power. The anniversary was marked in Beijing with a mass military parade that showcased some of the country’s newest military technology. President Xi Jinping gave a speech to open the celebrations in Beijing. However, the anniversary was met with sustained protests in Hong Kong, which has recently been undergoing increasingly intense struggles against Chinese rule. Protesters in Hong Kong took to the streets to demand more autonomy from mainland China and in so doing clashed with Chinese police forces. For the first time in months of pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong, the police shot and seriously wounded a protester, apparently with live ammunition. President Trump tweeted on Tuesday to congratulate Xi and the Chinese people on the anniversary.
Centrist coverage of the anniversary from NPR summarized the events in Beijing and Hong Kong, noting the heavy emphasis on military might at the parade in Beijing. The article reports that “Xi's brief opening speech Tuesday included strong language reiterating Beijing's control over Hong Kong and the nearby island of Taiwan.” The article also reports that the “embattled” Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam was a guest of honor at the parade in Beijing.
A right-leaning Fox News article focuses on Republicans’ widespread condemnation of the Chinese Communist Party on its 70th anniversary, condemnation that stands in sharp contrast to Trump’s congratulatory remarks. In particular, the article remarks that Representatives Liz Cheney and Mike Gallagher have said that the day is not an occasion for celebration as the Chinese government has deprived its citizens of human rights and dignity.
A left-leaning article from the New York Times focuses on the sharp contrast between the anniversary celebrations in Beijing and the protests in Hong Kong. The article argues that the protests “laid bare how Mr. Xi’s image and agenda have become hostage to the months of protests, undermining his reputation for unshakable control.” The article features several striking photographs contrasting the pomp of the anniversary celebrations with the intense conflict of the protests. The article paints a vivid picture of the wails of ambulances and the sting of tear gas in the streets of Hong Kong and questions whether Xi will change his calculus in light of Hong Kong’s refusal to back down from its demands for autonomy.