China takes steps to silence Social Networking Dissent
As Google's Christopher Bodeen reports, China, in anticipation of the double decade anniversary of the pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square, where many protesters were killed, took steps to silence any possible further dissent from being expressed on social networking sites. As such, thousands of university associated sites were muzzled and YouTube, Twitter and many blogs were blocked.
Perhaps unexpectedly, China has embraced the internet, dispite its potential as a conduit for spread of dissent. In fact, the numbers of Chinese internet users, who tend to be the most educated members of the population are set to exceed those in the US before long. However, there is a stark difference in the central administration of the internet in China compared to that in other world countries. In China the internet is being used as a tool of police monitoring. John J. Tkacik, Jr of the Heritage foundation reports that, "China is said to have the largest prison population of “cyberdissidents” in the world."
The impact of this typically chilling and tyrannical approach for Chinese citizens, as China crafts its place as a major player in the modern world seems clear to most Westerners watching on. What many have failed to recognise, however, is the potential danger for the rest of the world, if there fails to be a change in China's political homeguard, as it emerges, over the next two decades to become the world's number one economic Superpower.
In the modern world, few will argue that money equates to political power on the world stage. Significantly, where this is concerned, whereas, over past decades the West has followed an economic debt accumulating strategy that has bought it economically to it's knees, China has been building up a massive war chest of national reserves. In fact, it is loans of Chinese money which has, to a large extent, enabled potential recovery from the credit crunch in the West.
The world media, so far, have remained in, "Hush, hush," mode as far as this is concerned. It is an uncomfortable concept but it cannot be denied that aid comes at a price. Over time what will the pay back be and how much influence will the ideals of the current Chinese administration, assuming they remain in power, have on the rest of us, over the years that they begin to gain more and more leverage in the power game?
Of relevance, perhaps, is China's new involvement in Africa. For as a result of its voracious appetite for the minerals needed to furnish its massively increased manufacturing output, China appears to be buying up Africa. According to Paul Stothart, "China is becoming an important catalyst to the growth of Africa a continent that offers untapped raw material supply and market demand potential." There are some advantages to the growing relationship for example, as Stothard states, "China has cancelled $10 billion in bilateral debt from African countries." However, as Sothard also explains, "Chinese teachers and doctors are flowing to Africa, while African civil servants and military personnel are being trained in China." For those with eyes to see, there can be no question that along with the aid and the training, a political and social ideology is also being exported and that this has major implications for world politics.
Last Thursday was the twentieth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacres. It passed quietly with little or no visible dissent from Chinese citizens. Over the days weeks and months ahead let us all do what we can to support those Chinese citizens brave enough to risk their lives and well being to stand up for the ideals of freedom, democracy and free speech that we take for granted in the West. Further, let us hope that one day hopefully in the not too distant future social networking sites become portals of free speech universally for all citizens across the globe.
