For the Chinese regime, dependent above all else upon the illusion of consensus, the spontaneous political movements enabled by the internet represent a potentially existential threat. When the crowd cries for violence, its desires cannot be satisfied—but neither can they be wholly ignored. “Domestic voices calling for a more muscular Chinese foreign policy have created a heated political environment,” writes former U.S. State Department official Thomas Christensen. “Gone are the days when Chinese elites could ignore these voices.” Even if politicians disregard this fervor, it’s unclear if the
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