In China's crackdown on protesters, a familiar effort to blame foreign powers

Written by Vivian Wang and Zixu Wang First, the accountant and the freelance writer were taken away. Then, the former tutor with a degree in English literature. And several days later, police came for the editor at the Beijing publishing house. The four detained women were friends. They spent their free time in China's capital as many curious, creative-minded young people did: hosting book clubs, watching movies, discussing social issues like feminism and LGBTQ rights over barbecue. When protests against coronavirus restrictions broke out in November across China, including in Beijing, they attended. And now, they are among the first…