# China’s Surveillance State Gaps

> China’s surveillance state faces cracks as pandemic costs and public pressure force reforms.
- Title: China’s Surveillance State Gaps · Foreign Policy | Shortify
- Summary: China’s surveillance state faces cracks as pandemic costs and public pressure force reforms. China’s surveillance state has gaps and high costs, leading to…
- Keywords: china, surveillance, pandemic, xinjiang, xi jinping, covid-19, public pressure, surveillance state, zero-covid, uighur, State, Gaps
- Source: Foreign Policy — https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/10/13/china-surveillance-state-covid-xinjiang-xi-jinping
- Author: James Palmer
- Published: 2026-10-14T00:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: china, surveillance, pandemic, xinjiang, xi jinping, covid-19, public pressure, surveillance state, zero-covid, uighur
## China’s Surveillance State
China’s surveillance state returns to the spotlight with expanded monitoring and control under Xi Jinping.
## Omnipresent Surveillance
Security cameras are now everywhere in Chinese cities, and the foreign internet is effectively inaccessible.
## Real-Name Registration
Real-name registration for mobile phones was introduced in 2010, making unregistered SIM cards nearly impossible.
## No-Show Motels Disappear
No-show motels, which rented rooms without ID, have almost disappeared due to the crackdown on Uyghur Muslims.
## Boots on the Ground
Monitoring a single activist in 2010 took up to 100 people, and security paranoia put armed police on every alley corner.
## Surveillance Gaps
Residential compounds have facial recognition, but most keep a side gate open for delivery workers.
## Zero-COVID Costs
The zero-COVID policy required massive workforce for testing, quarantine, and disinfection, costing local governments heavily.
## Pandemic Failures
The zero-COVID system failed to contain the virus and could not stretch beyond urban areas.
## Public Pressure
Mass protests in 2022 forced Beijing to reverse course on intense surveillance policies.
## Xinjiang Crackdown
Xinjiang saw a complete internet shutdown after 2009 riots, leading to mass internment and coerced labor.
## Uyghur Resistance
Uyghur resistance has been crushed, Han settlement encouraged, and extractive industries are booming in Xinjiang.
## Xi’s Health Rumors
Rumors about Xi Jinping’s health resurface after he appeared to walk shakily at the airport.
## Scammers Sentenced
Three scammers received death sentences for pig-butchering scams and running protection rackets.
## Key takeaway

China’s surveillance state has gaps and high costs, leading to pandemic-era restrictions and public backlash that may prompt reforms.