Overview

Chinese authorities intensified control over information and public discourse, and continued to suppress dissent and peaceful assembly. Participants in religious activities were persecuted through surveillance, raids and security laws. Human rights defenders, writers, artists and other civil society actors continued to be detained and prosecuted under vague national security provisions; censorship and online surveillance of these groups persisted. Authorities suppressed activism aimed at achieving gender equality and imposed restrictions on freedom of expression by women and LGBTI people, particularly in digital spaces. China continued to use the death penalty. Renewable energy capacity increased significantly, but fossil fuel consumption also continued to rise. Ethnic groups including Uyghurs and Tibetans remained under strict political and cultural control. In the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions, national legislation further eroded human rights.