2039 Chinese democracy protests

Between 30 May and 25 June 2039, protests in support of democracy broke out across mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, known locally as the **Jiwei Revolution** (Chinese: 继伟革命; pinyin: *Jì wěi gémìng*) in response to the dismissal and arrest of premier Zhou Nianzu. The largest protest movement in world history, with over 50 million participants at its peak, the protests saw major episodes of violence that overwhelmed local authorities before they were forcefully ended by 25 June following the declaration of martial law by the State Council, resulting in the deaths of thousands to tens of thousands of protesters.

The protests were the direct result of a larger power struggle within the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) between the immensely popular premier Zhou and paramount leader Jiang He's designated successor Wei Yahui for control of the State Council. Zhou, a reform-minded war hero, opposed the consolidation of political power around Jiang and Wei, and actively worked within the government to undermine this process. Ultimately, Zhou was outmaneuvered by Wei and was dismissed as premier by the Politburo Standing Committee (PSC) on the morning of 29 May before being placed under house arrest later in the evening after making a post on his weibo page publicly denouncing the CCP and attempting to flee to Tokyo. Taking the post as a call to arms, protests began the following day in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong province, which were immediately met with violence by local authorities acting under the orders of senior party leadership. As the protests progressed, they spread to every province in China, and the initially unorganized protesters began to fall under the *de facto* leadership of the Protest Coordination Committee (PCC), led by prominent protest leaders and activists. On 4 June, the 50th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, the PCC published the "Five Fundamental Demands", demanding multi-party democracy, a free market economy, personal freedoms and liberties, the release and reinstatement of Zhou Nianzu and all political dissidents, and the creation of a commission to investigate human rights abuses; protesters were divided over rejecting socialism. In Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tibet, and Xinjiang, protesters also demanded independence.

The 8-member Politburo Standing Committee was divided as to how to approach the unrest; the "hardliners", led by Chairman Jiang and First Vice Chairman Wei, generally supported declaring martial law and ending the protests as quickly as possible, while the "pragmatists", led by General Secretary Ren Wenyan and CPPCC Chairman Yan Jinhai, strongly opposed such measures and generally supported granting concessions. The senior party leadership's indecision ultimately prolonged the already escalating violence as local cadres employed excessive force in an effort to please their superiors; violence by the authorities in turn contributed to violence by protesters, with observers describing the situation within China as teetering on civil war. Debates and deliberations within the PSC continued until the formation of the National Revolution Coordination Executive Committee (NRCEC) on 20 June by protest leaders, effectively forming a rival government-in-exile. In response, the Politburo Standing Committee unanimously voted to declare martial law nationwide, mobilizing the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to end the protests, with the announcement made the following morning by Vice Chairman Wei. As many as 1,000,000 PLA personnel were mobilized to supplement overwhelmed local authorities, and massacres ensued across China as cities were cleared of protesters, rioters, and bystanders. The execution of martial law was carried out by General Dai Chun, the "Butcher of Busan", who had served as supreme commander of PLA forces during World War III. After four days, the State Council declared that the situation had "stabilized" on 25 June, and curfews were ended the following day under strict supervision.

The response to the protests was widely condemned by governments, rights organizations, and political analysts, with some Shanghai Pact members also expressing concern over the violence employed in ending the unrest. Chinese products and services faced formal and informal sanctions and embargoes by Western governments. In response to substantial criticism, the Chinese government framed the protests as the work of foreign intelligence agencies, revealing the Prodigal Son intelligence operation led by the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Federation. Nevertheless, the Chinese government offered a number of concessions intended to increase the role of the Chinese public in politics, with a significantly easier petitioning system introduced and opposition parties, though largely symbolic, being allowed to stand for election to the National People's Congress, setting it apart from the crackdown after the preceding 1989 unrest. Like the 1989 unrest, discussion of the protests is highly controversial and one of the most widely censored topics within China; it is referred to among the public and government officials by euphemisms such as the **summer of 2039** and **26 degrees Celsius**.