After announcing the plan to do away with the limit of two presidential terms as provided in the Constitution, the Chinese government has now temporarily removed the letter “N” from
social networks like Weibo and We Chat. That is because the Chinese tried to express their discontent with this measure using expressions such as “N years”, alluding to the fact that President Xi Jinping
could remain in power forever. In Asia, in math, “N” is equivalent to “X” in the West and implies an infinite amount.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is above the State and controls all access to the Internet in China. It has also suspended the use of words like “eternal”, “indefinite control”, and “reelection”. After typing any of these options, the user receives an error message.

Xi without bounds. The CCP plans announced in February have been approved since there is no opposition in China. The measure will allow Xi Jinping, who has been President since 2013
and is Party Secretary for the CCP, to stay in power for as long as he wants.

It is not the first time that the government censors what people say on social networks. In 2017, memes comparing Xi Jinping to Winnie the Pooh, a Disney character that is described as the “bear
with a small brain”, or not too smart, were also prohibited.

QUESTIONS – level 3

1. According to the text, why did the government ban the letter “N” from Chinese social networks?

a. Because the letter “N” alludes to Winnie the Pooh in China, and they do not like the Disney character.
b. In Asian cultures, the letter “N” points to “Indefinite control”.
c. The Chinese are using expressions like “N years” to manifest their discontent with the government.
d. None of the above.

2. Who controls what users say on Chinese social networks?