Chinese military parade (archive)
Wednesday 17 May 2023 / 20:30
Chinese authorities have imposed a fine of nearly two million dollars on the talk show company, Shaojue, and suspended its programs in at least two major cities, “indefinitely,” after a comedian mocked a military slogan belonging to President Xi Jinping last week.
Li Haoshi, whose stage name is “House”, made a joke during a performance in Beijing on Saturday about the People’s Liberation Army emblem, according to an audio post on the social network Weibo.
Lee was telling a story about his dogs chasing a squirrel when he took up the National Liberation Army’s motto, “Good action wins battles.”
The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism said on Wednesday that it had launched an investigation into Li’s company after someone reported that a joke made by the comedian broke the law and “had a bad social impact.”
She was fined 14.7 million yuan ($2.13 million) and all her future concerts in Beijing and Shanghai were suspended indefinitely.
Beijing police said Wednesday night via Weibo that they had also opened an investigation into Li “in accordance with the law”.
During the reign of President Xi Jinping, who has ruled the country for a decade, the space available to the opposition has been greatly reduced, but China denies any campaigns targeting opponents.
Xi rules the country with an iron fist and ultra-nationalist approach, and has made strengthening the armed forces a priority both politically and economically, in addition to glorifying the army’s strength in domestic propaganda campaigns.
