2023 China : Taiwan’s Democratic Torch, Li Keqiang’s Legacy, and the Harrowing Reality of Forced Disappearances

TV forum Pinnacle View’s special Lunar New Year program on Feb.9 analyzed critical events that occurred in China in 2023 that may have long-lasting effects and implications for the country’s future.

Taiwan’s Election

China affairs commentator Jiang Feng told the program that Taiwan’s presidential election has influences beyond Taiwan. Under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the Chinese people will be looking for a way out of the misery and carnage under the regime.

“I think the Taiwanese election was actually a hint for the future of China,“ he said. ”No matter what the results of the election were, I think the election in Taiwan was a model for the democratic world as a whole.”

Mr. Jiang praised the free and fair election process in Taiwan and said that it can even be an example for the United States.

Although Taiwan is a tech hub, the voting process uses entirely paper ballots and manual counting.

No voting machines are used for casting or counting the ballots. Poll workers are required to check every voter for their valid national ID card.

The counting process is completely open to public viewing.

The Taiwanese people also get the results of their election within a few hours, which is one of the fastest counting processes in the world.

Furthermore, Mr. Jiang said that Taiwan has preserved the culture of traditional China, with values such as coexistence and tolerance, and at the same time, Taiwan is a free democratic country that is becoming a role model for the world when it comes to resilience against tyranny and authoritarianism.

This aspect alone directly contradicts the CCP’s propaganda, which claims that the Chinese people can only be governed by the CCP and that Taiwan is supposedly a “part of China.”

Li Keqiang’s Fate

On Pinnacle View, Mr. Jiang referred to former Chinese premier Li Keqiang’s death in 2023 as “the end of an era” while adding that the new era will be marked by an even stronger dictatorship and a more oppressive society.

“I think this is a continuation of the Cultural Revolution because as long as there is no real reflection on the Cultural Revolution, then the entire Chinese society is continuing the Cultural Revolution,” he said.

Mr. Jiang said that there are still many disputes and mysteries around Mr. Li’s cause of death while adding that Mr. Li leaves a complicated legacy in the CCP’s history.

Despite some comments from Mr. Li that could be viewed as “pro-reform” within the regime, he never stood up for his beliefs and always played a submissive role under Xi Jinping’s authoritarian rule.

“Li Keqiang’s reputation actually lies in his words that everyone can remember, such as when he said that ‘there were 600 million people [in China] earning 1,000 yuan ($140) per month.’ Nevertheless, he was holding back his grievances until his death,” Mr. Jiang commented.

Forced Disappearances

Li Jun, a Chinese independent TV producer based in the United States, said on Pinnacle View that in 2023 in China, “disappearance” has become a common term. In the past, there were some reports on forced disappearances of CCP officials or normal civilians, but now, in one year, two high-ranking ministers, former foreign minister Qing Gang, and former defense minister Li Shangfu, have disappeared from public view.

“In the past, officials would still show up after disappearing for some time, but now ministers at the CCP’s highest level of State Councilors have disappeared completely,” said Mr. Li.

“This phenomenon is something we have not seen for so many years. We still cannot tell whether this phenomenon represents the future trend of Chinese politics.

“At the moment, it may be very difficult to say whether Qin Gang is alive or dead. There are various rumors that he may have died from torture or he may have committed suicide because he felt that there was no hope for him,” he said.

Mr. Jiang said the mysterious disappearances are not only limited to CCP officials but also extend to civilians in China.

One of the best examples was last year’s Hu Xinyu case, where a 15-year-old Chinese student disappeared, and his body was found hanging on a tree after more than 100 days.

The police claimed that he killed himself and that his body was hanging there all the time, even though multiple searches were conducted in the forest. Chinese netizens also did not accept the official narrative that the young student committed suicide.

“By the end of the year (2023), I saw a lot of [Chinese] parents holding photos of their missing children,” said Mr. Li.

“It was said that there were 400 to 500 photos, and they posted them on a fleet of cars. This reflects the dark side of China’s organ transplant industry, which more and more [Chinese] people are paying attention to.”

Shi Shan, senior writer and contributor to the Chinese language edition of The Epoch Times, said on the show that those who are missing are young people between the ages of 13 and 20.