China’s Jasmine crackdown

Stravinsky had his Rite of Spring; China’s Communist Party has its own. As the first warm(er) breezes blow, Internet connections slow and sometimes fizzle out entirely. Spring in Beijing brings the annual 10-day meeting of the National People’s Congress, which this year starts on March 5th. China’s leaders, and more to the point China’s security apparatus, views this as a “sensitive time,” a time when public opinion must be kept “harmonious.” That is to say, criticism of the Party’s record or style of governance, is to be silenced.