[Opinion] Transnational Repression: ‘China feels emboldened to globalise its political red lines’
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/53473839
> *Op-ed by Barbora Bukovská, Senior Director for Law and Policy at ARTICLE 19.*
>
> [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20260520052625/https://lens.civicus.org/interview/transnational-repression-china-feels-emboldened-to-globalise-its-political-red-lines/)
>
> [...]
>
> On 29 April – days before RightsCon, the key global gathering of digital rights advocates, was due to open in Lusaka – the Zambian government announced a postponement that effectively cancelled the event. The **Zambian government stands accused of giving in to China’s pressure over the participation of people from Taiwan**. The event had been set to bring over 2,600 participants to sub-Saharan Africa for the first time, with another 1,100 joining online. Instead, it became the latest casualty of growing authoritarian pressure on the spaces where civil society convenes.
>
> [...]
>
> The cancellation lays bare how emboldened China feels to globalise its political red lines and exercise transnational repression. For years, it has applied pressure on governments to sideline Taiwanese participation in multilateral forums. Taiwan’s leading role in digital rights and technology has long irritated China. What’s new is other governments’ willingness to yield.
>
> [...]
>
> China’s leverage across Africa has grown substantially in recent years. Chinese funding has built major infrastructure in Zambia, including Mulungushi International Conference Centre, the venue where RightsCon was due to take place. Only days before the cancellation, China signed a new agreement to fund further development projects. Zambia carries roughly US$5 billion in debt to China, and that dependency comes with strings attached.
>
> Domestically, the picture is similarly bleak. Despite President Hakainde Hichilema being elected in 2021 on a promise of democratic renewal, civic space has shrunk steadily since. In 2025, parliament passed cybersecurity laws now used to curtail freedom of expression online and detain political opponents. Ahead of the August 2026 general election, the government is enacting further laws designed to entrench its power. Political control is winning out over democratic commitments.
>
> Yielding to Chinese pressure while restricting civic space at home calls Zambia’s commitment to the rule of law and human rights into serious doubt. **The debt creates a channel through which China can extract political cooperation.** Together, these dynamics create a dangerous precedent for other global south nations facing similar pressure.
>
> [...]
> *Op-ed by Barbora Bukovská, Senior Director for Law and Policy at ARTICLE 19.*
>
> [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20260520052625/https://lens.civicus.org/interview/transnational-repression-china-feels-emboldened-to-globalise-its-political-red-lines/)
>
> [...]
>
> On 29 April – days before RightsCon, the key global gathering of digital rights advocates, was due to open in Lusaka – the Zambian government announced a postponement that effectively cancelled the event. The **Zambian government stands accused of giving in to China’s pressure over the participation of people from Taiwan**. The event had been set to bring over 2,600 participants to sub-Saharan Africa for the first time, with another 1,100 joining online. Instead, it became the latest casualty of growing authoritarian pressure on the spaces where civil society convenes.
>
> [...]
>
> The cancellation lays bare how emboldened China feels to globalise its political red lines and exercise transnational repression. For years, it has applied pressure on governments to sideline Taiwanese participation in multilateral forums. Taiwan’s leading role in digital rights and technology has long irritated China. What’s new is other governments’ willingness to yield.
>
> [...]
>
> China’s leverage across Africa has grown substantially in recent years. Chinese funding has built major infrastructure in Zambia, including Mulungushi International Conference Centre, the venue where RightsCon was due to take place. Only days before the cancellation, China signed a new agreement to fund further development projects. Zambia carries roughly US$5 billion in debt to China, and that dependency comes with strings attached.
>
> Domestically, the picture is similarly bleak. Despite President Hakainde Hichilema being elected in 2021 on a promise of democratic renewal, civic space has shrunk steadily since. In 2025, parliament passed cybersecurity laws now used to curtail freedom of expression online and detain political opponents. Ahead of the August 2026 general election, the government is enacting further laws designed to entrench its power. Political control is winning out over democratic commitments.
>
> Yielding to Chinese pressure while restricting civic space at home calls Zambia’s commitment to the rule of law and human rights into serious doubt. **The debt creates a channel through which China can extract political cooperation.** Together, these dynamics create a dangerous precedent for other global south nations facing similar pressure.
>
> [...]