Repression in China has increased significantly since President Xi Jinping came to power; however, the Communist party's grip on control may be less secure than it seems, says a report to be released Tuesday.

A new report from independent watchdog organization The Freedom House, titled "The Politburo's Predicament: Confronting the Limitations of Chinese Communist Party Repression," tracks the evolution of the Communist Party's censorship and internal security apparatus since Xi became general secretary in 2012.

Like Us on Facebook

Citing the report, Fred Hiat, the editorial page editor of The Washington Post, lashed out against the Chinese government, saying that the increase in repression is "pretty much across the board: Academics, entrepreneurs, lawyers, grass-roots activists and others have all found less scope for their activities."

The author of the report is Sarah Cook, who last year wrote a study on Chinese efforts to censor and control how overseas media report on the country. In her latest report, Cook used official documents as well as interviews and reports by human rights groups, and others.

Hiat wrote that, according to the report, there has been a return to "Maoist methods of intimidation, indoctrination and thought control." However, the report also says that the Communist Party's tightening of control may not be working.

"In spite of the heightened repression, fear of the regime appears to be diminishing," says the report.

According to the report, China's budget for internal security exceeded its external defense budget a couple of years ago. This trend continued into 2013, until China stopped reporting the total for internal security - the first time in more than a decade that it has done so.

The report also says that Xi's administration has embraced public confessions, indoctrination, peer pressure - the kind of tactics that had been employed during the China's Cultural Revolution.

"Peace managers" keep track of every household in some villages, and those who are suspected of questionable views have to file "thought reports" every week, and attend "legal education" sessions, "often a euphemism for political indoctrination or forced conversion," Freedom House says.

Freedom House also cited a crackdown on the media in China, reporting that

in order to be a government-approved Journalist, one must take "a new ideological exam . . . based on a minimum 18-hour training course on topics like 'Marxist-news values,' with a 700-page manual."

The report adds that "On an almost daily basis, injuries are suffered, families are shattered, and lives are lost," and concludes that what the future holds in store for Chinese society is to unpredictable to forecast.

The repressive atmosphere, says the report, "could produce anything from a more radical dictatorship or violent upheaval to a successful popular movement for greater freedom." 

TagsAs China’s Xi Tightens Control Grip on Power Slips, The Politburo's Predicament: Confronting the Limitations of Chinese Communist Party Repression, Sarah Cook, The Freedom House, Fred Hiat