Lai See | Toy helicopters and knives restricted during congress

The looming 18th National People's Congress of the Communist Party of China is, as we have already seen, a delicate time for the leadership. But we understand the tension has not been confined to the upper levels of the party. Children and those taking taxis have also been affected by measures that we find somewhat bemusing, given the mainland's status as the world's second-largest economy.

According to the official Beijing Youth Daily, Beijing stores are insisting that people who want to buy toy radio-controlled helicopters show their identity cards and give their names and addresses. No explanation has been given for these arrangements, which will last for the duration of the congress. The speculation is that these measures are to minimise the possibility of people sending these toys to hover over sensitive locations trailing posters with subversive messages.

Also, taxis have been told to keep their windows closed when driving past sensitive areas in Beijing. This is to reduce the possibility of people throwing leaflets around containing politically incorrect messages. We are told that some Beijing stores have posted notices saying they will not be selling knives during the congress.

In addition, there have been reports that some internet connections are down, while some internet service providers have said they are planning to close down for a few weeks for maintenance. This has led to speculation that a more widespread shutdown of major websites and ISPs is being contemplated. Not for nothing is the June 4 anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown jokingly referred to among netizens as internet maintenance day.

Messages referring to the 18th party congress are already being blocked, as is the slang term for it - shi ba da, meaning Big 18. The pronunciation is not unlike "Sparta", the name of the city state in ancient Greece. For this reason, there has been an increasing frequency of the word "Sparta" in weibo messages as netizens seek to avoid being blocked.

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