Will China Protest Crackdown Be Tiananmen Square 2?

A rare public backlash to Beijing's draconian "zero-COVID" lockdown orders, authoritarian censorship laws, and an economic downturn for the country's working class could signal "the beginning of the end" for the Chinese Communist Party and President Xi Jinping's regime, experts say.

Anti-government protests are typically scarce in China, where anyone who dares to speak out against the ruling party risks their life. So, the uproar and dissent visible in multiple provinces this weekend easily evoked memories of the 1989 student-led pro-democracy movement that centered on Beijing's Tiananmen Square – a protest that was ultimately silenced with deadly force from the army.