The 6521 Project, sometimes called the "6521 Group," was the moniker given to a nationwide operation initiated by the

Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victoriou ...

(CCP) in 2009 to ensure "social stability" by cracking down on potential dissidents during anniversaries of political significance. The digits in the campaign’s name are a reference to the 60th anniversary of the founding of the

People’s Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, the 50th anniversary of the

1959 Tibetan uprising The 1959 Tibetan uprising (also known by other names) began on 10 March 1959, when a revolt erupted in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, which had been under the effective control of the People's Republic of China since the Seventeen Point Agreemen ...

, the

20th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre The 20th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre (20周年六四遊行) was a series of rallies that took place in late May to early June 2009 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and ...

, and the 10th anniversary of the

persecution of Falun Gong The persecution of Falun Gong is the antireligious campaign initiated in 1999 by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to eliminate the spiritual practice of Falun Gong in China, maintaining a doctrine of state atheism. It is characterized by ...

. The 6521 Project was initiated as a top-level committee by the CCP, and was reportedly headed by

Xi Jinping Xi Jinping ( ; ; ; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, s ...

, current

CCP general secretary The general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party () is the Party leader, head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the One-party state, sole ruling party of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). Since 1989, the CCP general secr ...

. Under the campaign, all provinces and municipalities were required to establish temporary 6521 taskforces under the local Communist Party and Public Security leadership. Authorities at the township and county levels were also required to implement the 6521 project, reporting on their progress to municipal or provincial taskforces above them. In parallel to the 6521 Project, a top-level coordinating body was created under the direction of

Zhou Yongkang Zhou Yongkang (born 3 December 1942) is a former senior leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He was a member of the 17th Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), China's highest decision-making body, and the Secretary of the Central Politic ...

, called the "Central Committee for Comprehensive Management of Social Order." The committee identified a series of potential threats to social order, and prescribed measures to suppress them. The threats named included ethnic separatism in Tibet, Falun Gong, protests triggered by unemployment, land grabs, tainted products and labor disputes, crime, and the illicit installation of satellite receivers and illegal publishing. The Committee set out 33 measures to ensure social stability. It also revived a network of volunteer informants in schools and neighborhoods, and established a joint responsibility system that holds heads of households, work units, and local governments accountable in the event of protests or other destabilizing events.Ching Cheong
"China Acts to Defuse 'Crisis Year'"
Singapore Straits Times. 3 March 2009

References

{{Reflist} History of the Chinese Communist Party 2009 in China Law enforcement in China Communist repression Political repression in China China Projects

See also

References