On 21 July 2022, Chinese authorities reportedly deployed military tanks to the streets of the eastern port city of Rizhao in Shandong province — located approximately 100 km (65 mi) south of Qingdao. According to local media reports, the military tanks were deployed to protect local branches of the People’s Bank of China from protesters demanding the return of their bank deposits. Associated demonstrations have also occurred in Zhengzhou, the provincial capital of neighboring Henan province, since April 2022 as protesters demand access to their money outside a branch of the central bank in the city. Security personnel and plainclothes police officers used heavy-handed tactics to disperse protesters in Zhengzhou. No official statements have been released regarding a motive for the military deployment in Rizhao.