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The Three Ts in the context of China are Taiwan, Tibet, and Tiananmen. These are the three most contentious issues to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Overview

Taiwan, Tibet, and Tiananmen are the three most contentious issues to the CCP. Foreigners are advised not to raise these topics in discussion with Chinese citizens as this could put them in an "uncomfortable" situation.

Journalist Eveline Chao said that she was told to avoid stories about the Three Ts in China.

Academics at British Universities have faced pressure to avoid the Three Ts and praise the CCP. They were threatened with the cancellation of their Chinese visas which would have ended their ability to do research in China.

Variants

The Two Ts

For businesses only two of the three Ts are generally relevant, Tibet and Taiwan. Foreign companies operating in China must be careful to avoid appearing to violate the party line on either topic. As many large businesses benefit from outsourced Chinese labor, they are unable to speak up about the human rights violations in China without angering the CCP and likely losing their profits within China. This occurred in 2019, when Daryl Morey of the Houston Rockets tweeted in support of Hong Kong's protesters, a contentious issue the CCP wishes to shut down. After threats from China, the tweet was deleted and the NBA apologized.

The Three Ts and Two Cs

The Three Ts and Two Cs is an alternate formulation with the same Three Ts with the addition of “cults” (a euphemism for Falun Gong) and “criticism” of the CCP.

The Forbidden Ts

They have also been referred to as the Forbidden Ts.

See also

• Overseas censorship of Chinese issues
• Censorship in China
• Organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners in China

References

1. Schiller, Bill (4 January 2008). "Beijing braces for 'The Three T's'". www.thestar.com. The Star. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
2. Chao, Eveline (26 October 2012). "Me and My Censor". foreignpolicy.com. Foreign Policy. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
3. Das, Shanti. "Beijing leans on UK dons to praise Communist Party and avoid 'the three Ts — Tibet, Tiananmen and Taiwan'". www.thetimes.co.uk. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
4. Spector, Mike; Ma, Wayne (4 June 2018). "If You Want to Do Business in China, Mind Your T's: Taiwan and Tibet". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
5. Yglesias, Matthew (2019-10-07). "The raging controversy over the NBA, China, and the Hong Kong protests, explained". Vox. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
6. Watts, Jonathan (25 January 2006). "Backlash as Google shores up great firewall of China". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
7. Mohan, Geeta. "German MP sports T-shirt supporting Taiwan, Tiananmen and Tibet". www.indiatoday.in. India Today. Retrieved 19 December 2020.

• Overseas censorship of Chinese issues
• Chinese Communist Party
• 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre