Political participation in China

Censorship mechanisms in China seem to have partially loosened up, affording Chinese people limited freedom to pursue personal goals. But will these apparent signs of political liberalism lead China to political democracy? This is the question that interests Western media. This chapter examines Western media interest in Chinese censorship so as to examine this key concern.

Although the Chinese government's encouragement of Internet use for personal consumption could be interpreted as an early symptom of political liberalism, in reality this encouragement has merely helped to stabilize the current political framework in China — witness Chinese bloggers' anger at Western criticisms of Chinese censorship practices (see Chapter 4). Analysis of the political implications of Internet use in China is crucial both to understanding Chinese bloggers' anger and to dissecting the short- and long-term potential for political change.

Chinese Internet use has attracted political interest and observation since it was first allowed, creating what Zhou has called a “monster complex” (2006, p. 2). During the global infancy of the Internet, Western observers tended to view it as a vehicle of expression and communication, a sort of benign monster that might lead authoritarian regimes to democracy. However, after witnessing the effective control of the Internet in China, the “benign monster” in China clearly proved to be less powerful than its rival, the Chinese government, and its effective censorship mechanisms. Subsequently, the Western media has credited the Chinese government as a powerful monster.