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A week has elapsed since the opening of the Olympics. China (along a few other countries), is showing that they are also a world athletic power to reckon with. But I was also making the point in my previous blog entries that the Olympics (or the August lull…) should not give license to governance going on leave for a while… So I brought up Russia vs. Georgia, Pakistan vs. Taleban at the Afghan border, Zimbabwe leader vs. his people, and likewise in Darfur. And in the last blog entry here I only very briefly mentioned China’s internet censorship issues during the Games.

 

The complex internet censorship by the authorities in China, dubbed by many as the “Great Firewall”, seems to be more aptly be characterized as “Net Nanny”, according to blogging and cites by Rebecca MacKinnon, a founder of Global Voices and expert on internet and blogging censorship issues (also  here).                                                                                                                                

 

The ‘Great Firewall’ refers to authorities censoring online content (especially blogs), either through sophisticated technology, or by “unofficial” directives to internet providers, or through control of media content “orientation” by posting pro-government news, comments or blog entries. ‘Net Nanny’ goes beyond this and also relies on Chinese “netizens” (a frequent user or citizen of the internet) who may be like-minded and believes that internet content should be controlled, and that the authorities (being informed on such inappropriate content) should censor it. For a set of survey results on the views of Chinese internet users on this, see this World Bank blog entry here.

 

So the Net Nanny is at work when a Chinese blogger is censored by the authorities after a fellow netizen denounces her/him, but also indirectly when bloggers exercise self-censorship: such bloggers often know how to get around the ‘Great Firewall’, yet desist from doing so, fearing consequences such as jail time. This piece in the UK’s Guardian addresses this issue, and also mentions that 70 journalists and 50 “cyber-dissidents” were imprisoned according to Reporters Sans Frontières.

 

But perhaps things may improve (and we need to also keep in mind that other countries do have their own challenges in “managing media content”, including among the G-8).  There may be growing awareness among some of the powerful within China that to solidify itself as a world power and to secure longer term internal stability, robust and shared growth in the coming decade will be paramount. Increased openness and empowerment of citizens everywhere in terms of freedom of ideas and expression (and also in order to have redress where there is local mismanagement and corruption), as well as and increased political contestability, may be an important complement to the already attained freedom in trade of goods. Some are already speculating (see article in the Guardian) about possible reforms in China after the Games. 

 

And the starting point for reforms regarding the web also offers a possible window, because even though there is censorship, it is far from absolute, and ongoing IT advances may help. Chinese and foreign netizens in fact already do get around the Great Firewall, either through technological means, or by hosting their blogs in server outside China, or as an example by simply talking about “push-ups” when they really meant to talk about the riots in the Weng’an region after a girl died without knowing is she was raped or committed suicide (see here).

 

Moreover, intelligent blogging by Chinese experts themselves presenting careful and constructive critiques and reform options may now be having a hearing, paving one way towards more openness in the next phase.  Perhaps China’s President Hu Jintao may be hinting about an increasing authorizing environment when he recently stated: “We pay great attention to suggestions and advice from our netizens.  We stress the idea of ‘putting people first’ and ‘governing for the people’….With this in mind, we need to listen to people’s voices extensively and pool the people’s wisdom when we take actions and make decisions. The web is an important channel for us to understand the concerns of the public and assemble the wisdom of the public.”   

 

It is crucial to identify who is arguing internally for change, because China will continue to change and grow thanks to the Chinese people, and not because somebody from the outside says something…  And there is sensitivity to outside criticism, yet acknowledgement that there may be difference of views. In response to criticism on human rights, President Hu also said: “It is only inevitable that people from different countries may not see eye to eye… we should enter into consultations on an equal footing to narrow our differences and expand our common ground on the basis of mutual respect.”  

 

Of course, a ‘domestic’ extension of this ‘cross-national’ argument would be to explicitly say that different people within the same country may not always see eye to eye either, and that openness and respect for such diversity of opinions within a nation makes it stronger.

 

President Hu in fact has also stated: “While constantly deepening economic reform and achieving sound and fast economic and social development, we will continue to pursue comprehensive reforms, including reforms of the political system.”    Will the Olympics be regarded as a turning point?