On January 12, 2026, reports from Sky News and Tibetan Review painted a striking picture of rising public dissent across China, a country where voicing discontent is fraught with peril and often met by a swift, heavy-handed response. Despite the ever-present risks, a notable uptick in protests has been observed throughout the nation, from bustling urban centers like Shenzhen to smaller cities such as Jiangyou. The reasons behind this surge are as complex as they are urgent, with economic grievances taking center stage and a shrinking space for advocacy leaving many feeling cornered.
According to Sky News, the number of protests in China has been climbing, even as police and security forces act quickly to suppress any signs of unrest. The dangers of reporting on such events were made clear when a Sky News team attempting to cover a factory strike in Shenzhen was intercepted by authorities. "Hands immediately blocked our lenses, men pulled members of our team to the side, our camera was seized and we were forced into cars and driven away," Sky News recounted. Such incidents are not isolated, but rather emblematic of the broader strategy employed by the Chinese state to maintain "social stability"—a value placed above almost all else in the country’s political hierarchy.
Backing up these firsthand accounts, data from China Dissent Monitor (CDM)—an arm of the US-based NGO Freedom House—reveals the scale of the phenomenon. CDM reported over 5,000 protest incidents across China in 2025 alone, a number that represents a dramatic 48% increase in the first eleven months of the year compared to the same period in 2024. Kevin Slaten, the research lead for CDM, explained to Sky News that these figures likely understate the true extent of unrest: "Real-world protests are much higher than what we capture. We don’t know exactly how many times higher."
CDM compiles its data primarily by scouring Chinese social media platforms for evidence of protests. However, as the Chinese government employs an army of censors to scrub such evidence and local media rarely reports on these events, the actual number of protests is almost certainly higher. As Slaten noted, "People are careful in what they say publicly, to not link this to the central government in many cases. But that doesn’t mean that that’s the same as trusting the central government."
The motivations behind these protests are diverse, but economic grievances dominate. CDM’s analysis found that a staggering 85% of incidents since June 2022 were rooted in issues such as unpaid wages, the forced seizure of rural land for construction projects, perceived unfairness in the education system, and homeowners left in limbo after investing life savings in properties that were never delivered. As one social media account holder, known as Teacher Li, whose X account "Teacher Li is Not Your Teacher" reposts protest videos on Western platforms, put it: "The reasons [for a rise in protests] are interrelated… The economic downturn has led to social instability, which has led to the government’s desire to impose more control over society, which then has led to more discontent in the population."
Despite the breadth of grievances, overtly political protests remain rare, given the extraordinary sensitivity of the Communist Party of China (CPC) to any challenge to its authority. The consequences for those who cross this line can be severe. Yet, as the events of summer 2025 in Jiangyou city illustrate, even ostensibly apolitical gatherings can spiral into broader dissent. What began as a peaceful protest over a school bullying incident quickly escalated, with hundreds taking to the streets and some chanting, "give me back democracy." The demonstration ultimately culminated in violent clashes with police, underscoring the volatility that can arise when people feel their concerns are being ignored.
The Chinese government’s approach to dissent is shaped by a comprehensive system designed to sustain social stability. Any gathering is viewed as a potential threat, and authorities move decisively to prevent escalation. This strategy is not limited to the streets; it extends into the digital realm, where evidence of protests is swiftly erased from social media. As Teacher Li observed, "Protests are often swiftly shut down, local media will rarely report them and evidence will be scrubbed from social media by an army of censors."
Adding to the sense of isolation among would-be protesters is the forced closure of many NGOs and advocacy groups that once served as conduits for public grievances. Without these organizations, individuals have fewer avenues to seek redress, leading some to take their frustrations directly to the streets. This shift has not gone unnoticed by observers, who point to the potential for increased instability as people find themselves with fewer options for expressing discontent.
Yet, it would be a mistake to assume that all of China is roiling with unrest. As a Chinese government official told Sky News, "dissidents are not representative of the mainstream of Chinese society," asserting that millions of citizens are "happy and prosperous and see no need to protest." This perspective, while undoubtedly shared by many, does not negate the reality that dissent is on the rise, nor does it diminish the significance of the grievances being voiced.
Internationally, the Chinese government’s handling of protests is being watched closely, especially in light of regime-threatening demonstrations in other countries such as Iran. Some analysts suggest that Beijing’s anxiety over events abroad may be contributing to its increasingly repressive domestic posture, as the authorities seek to prevent similar unrest from taking root at home. The parallels are not lost on those who study the region, with Tibetan Review noting, "expressing dissent is sensitive and risky in China, and doing so in the face of it is usually a sign of how desperate people see their situation to be, just like in Iran."
As China heads deeper into 2026, the tension between the population’s economic frustrations and the government’s insistence on social harmony shows no sign of abating. The stories emerging from cities like Shenzhen and Jiangyou provide a window into the lived reality of those who dare to protest, while the data collected by CDM and others hints at an even broader undercurrent of discontent. Whether this trend will continue, and what it might mean for China’s future, remains an open question—but for now, the voices of dissent, though often silenced, are undeniably growing louder.
