BEIJING (Reuters) - China is locking down droves of people it fears could stir unrest during the annual parliament session, and on Wednesday tightened media controls, worried that uprisings in the Middle East could embolden dissent.
Protests that have toppled authoritarian Arab governments have reinforced Chinese leaders' vigilance about defending one-party control, a priority since the Communist Party crushed pro-democracy protests in June 1989. Those official anxieties are sure to multiply as President Hu Jintao prepares to hand power to a successor from late 2012.