Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, March 11: The Tibet Policy Institute (TPI), the think tank under the exile Tibetan government known officially as the Central Tibetan Administration, on Wednesday hosted an expert talk titled “Understanding China’s System of Political Repression: Voices of Resistance through Art and Journalism” at Gankyi compound in Dharamshala.
The program featured Australian-Chinese journalist Cheng Lei and Chinese-Australian political cartoonist and activist Badiucao, who shared insights into censorship, surveillance, and political control under the Chinese government, highlighting how independent reporting and creative expression continue to challenge authoritarian narratives and expose repression, amplifying silenced voices.
Artist and activist Badiucao, known internationally for his political cartoons that criticise authoritarianism, spoke about the personal and professional risks associated with producing dissident art. As a Han Chinese artist, he said he felt a responsibility to address injustices committed against Tibetans and other marginalized communities.
“For me, being a dissident is not intentional—it is a by-product of being a truthful artist,” he said, explaining that his work reflects both his family history and his commitment to universal human rights.
Badiucao described how Chinese authorities discovered his identity in 2018 after years of anonymity and subsequently pressured his relatives in China to force the cancellation of one of his exhibitions in Hong Kong. He said such tactics are part of broader “transnational repression,” in which authorities target families and associates to silence critics abroad.
He further detailed the Chinese government’s online harassment campaigns against dissidents, including the creation of fake websites, bot networks, and disinformation designed to discredit activists and distort search results. In recent years, he warned, artificial intelligence has made censorship and propaganda campaigns more efficient and harder to counter.
Beyond digital attacks, Badiucao said Chinese officials have repeatedly attempted to sabotage his exhibitions overseas through diplomatic pressure on museums and galleries. Despite these challenges, he continues to use social media, public art, and street installations to directly reach his audiences.
While acknowledging the increasing sophistication of censorship systems, the artist emphasized that visual satire and political art still hold the power to challenge authoritarian narratives. “When people start asking questions, you have already broken the cage of information,” he said.
Speaking about her two decades of experience in China’s media landscape, Australian-Chinese journalist Cheng Lei said censorship operated within both state-owned and foreign media outlets. Having begun her career in 2002 at China’s state broadcaster, she said many journalists at the time were optimistic that China’s media environment would gradually liberalize amid rapid economic growth and increasing global engagement.
However, she noted that strict red lines remained, particularly around sensitive subjects such as Tibet, Taiwan, and the 1989 Tiananmen protests. “The top propaganda chiefs decide what the masses must know, what they must not know, and how they should interpret it,” she said, describing daily propaganda directives circulated among media organizations outlining topics to promote, avoid, or frame in specific ways.
Lei also recounted how even foreign media organizations operating in China faced pressure due to business interests and concerns over staff safety. She described instances of harassment while reporting and the confiscation of equipment during interviews, illustrating the limits placed on journalists.
According to Lei, the space for independent reporting has narrowed significantly under the leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping. “There used to be a saying that if you were silent, you were safe, but now if you don’t cheer loudly enough, you get into trouble,” she said, pointing to the growing politicization of media and the decline of investigative journalism in China.
She also observed that Chinese public perceptions of Tibet are heavily shaped by state propaganda, noting that many Chinese citizens remain poorly informed about the region despite being skeptical about other international issues.
