No Dissent: China unveils new electromagnetic weapon to quell protests

After reporting rare large-scale protests – largely peaceful – over stringent COVID-19 curbs last year, China has now come up with a new method to prevent violent demonstrations.

According to reports, the Asian giant has unveiled an electromagnetic gun that fires coin-shaped bullets in order to control riots.

The CS/LW21 gun was revealed in a military technology show broadcasted on the state broadcaster CCTV on 28 March, according to a South China Morning Post (SCMP) report.

What are the features of this electromagnetic gun and why has China introduced it? What do last year’s COVID protests say about the country? We explain.

Features of CS/LW21 gun

Developed by China North Industries Group Corporation Limited and other technology teams, the CS/LW21 gun is designed on the basis of coilgun technology, which uses electromagnets to fire a projectile, according to Bloomberg.

SCMP report says that the gun – with an estimated firing frequency of many thousand rounds per minute – has a sleek design, which makes it easier to handle.

China pioneers portable electromagnetic gun, sets development trend for future weapons
https://t.co/33mmM3dWJX pic.twitter.com/WB5pgyn3in

— Zhang Heqing (@zhang_heqing) April 3, 2023

The gun is equipped with a display screen at the front that informs about battery level, frequency, bullet capacity, rail temperature and firing mode, the report added.

It also has a double-chamber magazine for continuous firing and quick reloading.

“The gun is designed like coil guns, which use electric power to accelerate the projectile. When the nine-level coil is electrified, corresponding magnetic fields are formed, which allow the bullet to be sucked out by a relay race method,” the gun’s designer, Lei Fengqiao, was quoted as saying by SCMP.

“It is powered by a built-in lithium-ion battery that can continuously fire hundreds of rounds when fully charged. The charging time is also very short, with little influence from temperature.”

The gun also offers a trajectory with superior control and “multiple point hits”, as per the SCMP report.

The coin-shaped bullets are also advantageous as they are cheaper and easier to store and transport.

The gun emits a low firing sound and does not have flash, smoke, or shells. With its small recoil, the weapon can be used in populated areas, where traditional firearms may trigger panic or more violence, the report added.

ALSO READ: A Brush with Revolution: How ‘Teacher Li’ brought China’s COVID protests to the limelight

‘Non-lethal’ weapon

The weapon has been called “non-lethal” as its round-shaped bullets reduce the risk of killing civilians during riots.

The device is designed in a way to reduce the chances of seriously hurting people while dispersing crowds during violent demonstrations.

These bullets do not penetrate the body, thus lessening the risk of injuries. During field tests, the coin projectiles penetrated double-layered 3mm-thick plywood and damaged cola and beer bottles, reported SCMP.

As per Bloomberg, in electromagnetic weapons, users can select the intensity and frequency of the firing gun.

However, the device can still be used to cause grave injury if the bullets are exchanged with pointed ammunition that can pierce the body.

ALSO READ: Rise of the People: As COVID protests spread, a brief history of rare acts of dissent in China

Protests in China

Widespread protests are not common in China, where the government heavily cracks down on any form of dissent.

So, last November’s large-scale demonstrations against nearly three years of snap lockdowns, with some raising slogans like “Xi Jinping, step down” and “Communist party, step down” were surprising.

A blaze at an apartment block in Urumqi, the capital of the western Xinjiang region, was behind the unusual wave of protests which spread across Beijing, Shanghai and other regions.

Many demonstrators held blank pieces of white paper – a symbol of defiance against the ruling party’s censorship – which led some to describing it as the “A4 Revolution.”

The biggest protests in decades in the country, which saw urban Chinese, students, young people and workers hit the streets, were mostly peaceful. However, some incidents of violence where people clashed with the police were reported.

The protests which eventually petered out had an impact as the government relaxed some lockdown protocols before abruptly scrapping the zero-COVID policy.

As per Time magazine, the government did not resort to repressive measures to quell these protests but adopted other “nuisance measures” such as checking phones and identity papers to discourage people from joining the marches.

The agitation showed that the “state has learned valuable lessons about how most effectively to deter or demobilise protesters without resort to costly (in terms of both resources and reputation) and dangerous repression”, William Hurst, the Chong Hua Professor of Chinese Development at the University of Cambridge, wrote for Time magazine in December 2022.

Notably, NPR reported in January that the police were tacitly rounding up people they believed were behind the demonstrations.

“They have also shown us that grievances have likely not been assuaged and, if anything, deeper issues have taken root in the hearts of many that could lead them to take bigger risks in challenging the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) in the future,” Hurst wrote for Time magazine.

With inputs from agencies

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