Discussions of Repression

Interestingly in just the first few days here in China I’ve found a host of opportunities for conversation on issues of Chinese governance, few of which I’ve even had to instigate.  At least here in Shanghai politics seems every bit as relevant a subject of discussion as it is in the states, if not much more so.  Yesterday I learned, purely as a result of the absurd congestion on the metro that it was the 90^th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).  I was thoroughly pleased by the unexpected and spirited discussions of the party’s successes and failings over the decades.  It was very nice to have people assume that I’m aware of world politics as a result of recognizing me as American, I’m used to quite the opposite.

On one subject complaints seemed fairly standard regardless of other political opinions, whenever conversation drifted into the realm of information censorship there was little disagreement.  Granted, the people I have met thus far are typically fairly young and well educated, but awareness of government limitations and how to get around them seems somewhat standard.  I’ve little doubt that the state is thoroughly aware of general sentiments on the subject, which leads me to wonder just what motivates the underlying policy.  In general, commentary on the workings of the Chinese government leaned most heavily toward nationalist pride at the world-changing successes of the country’s economy.  What logic could there be then in squandering public good will for the sake of internet repression which largely is more frustrating than genuinely effective?

In part this question was answered for me after doing a mild bit of browsing on western news sources.  From the ongoing injustices in Tibet to growing discontent over social and economic inequity, western media very rarely has much to say in a positive light regarding China.  Of course the government’s standard of repression strikes me as unwise and counter-productive, but the underlying concerns over instability are fairly typical fears for non-democratic regimes, or for that matter regimes going through economic changes.  This is a volatile time for China, and there’s likely much truth to concerns that China has few allies on an international scale.