In late October, the local branch of a state-owned enterprise or SOE, the China Hainan Rubber Industry Group, “cut down local farmers’ betel nut trees” in Qiongzhong County “without permission, triggering protests, property damage, and a heavy police presence, according to footage circulating online and interviews conducted by The Epoch Times” (November 2, 2025).
Epoch Times writer Michael Zhuan tacks an “allegedly” onto the phrase “cut down,” but nobody denies that this is what happened. How many within the People’s Republic of China know about these events is another question. The CCP censorship engine soon kicked into gear to suppress knowledge of the tree-chopping and the villagers’ revolt.
Video footage shared on Chinese social media shows residents piling the cut trees outside the company’s office building and demanding an explanation. Protesters blocked the entrance, flipped over cars, and shouted slogans referring to the company as “bandits.”
By nightfall, police officers had cordoned off the site, escorting company staff out of the building as villagers hurled stones at riot police. Some protesters later smashed the company’s signboard. The crowd dispersed only after midnight, leaving the area strewn with debris….
Video footage of the confrontation spread rapidly online, drawing widespread discussion. Because of China’s strict online censorship, only clips shared to overseas social media remained accessible after the incident….
In a statement posted on its official account on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, on Oct. 31, Hainan Rubber stated that the disputed land lies within the boundaries of its local branch and that it holds lawful usage rights. The company accused villagers of “illegally occupying” the land for years and said it removed “non-rubber crops” after villagers refused to stop their “infringement,” leading to the confrontation….
The deletion of local media coverage underscores the sensitivity surrounding land disputes and social unrest in China, where reports of confrontations with SOEs are often swiftly removed from public view.
Clearly, no “allegedly” is needed here. The destroyers themselves admit the destruction.
According to a villager who spoke to Epoch Times anonymously, after the fracas Hainan Rubber met with local farmers to make a deal.
“They’re offering double compensation,” he said. “Now the plan is to wait for the government to handle it.”
The villager confirmed that the land legally belongs to Hainan Rubber [i.e., the government] but said farmers have been cultivating it for more than a decade and hold contracts with the company for the land.
“The company wants the land back,” he said.
The local farmers prefer to grow betel nut trees, which are more profitable for them than rubber trees. Hainan Rubber wants rubber trees on the land and thought it unimportant to resolve any dispute with the farmers or offer compensation before destroying all of their crop.
Also see:
China Undercover: “Breaking Chaos in Hainan: Betel Nut Trees Razed Overnight, Farmers Revolt; and Seafood Market Collapses” (November 3, 2025)
“The CCP regime is now facing crises on all fronts…. Observers note that Hainan Rubber’s actions reflect a broader trend in which state-backed corporations exploit ambiguous land ownership and weak enforcement mechanisms, knowing that local residents have little recourse.”
China Observer: “China’s Betel Nut War Erupts! CCP’s Worst Fear, Hainan Villagers Throw Dung Water and Beat Enforcers” (April 2, 2025)
China: Real Property Law (2015)
“Individuals cannot privately own land in China but may obtain transferrable land-use rights for a number of years for a fee.”
