Thank you 🙏, clear and interesting. I was longing for someone saying what really happens in China.
Not the western propaganda.
It annoys me a lot that even people who believe that the Western media are pressitutes... when the very same media tell something horrible about China, they believe it.
You've mentioned it's unlikely that this policy can be maintained long-term, a point I agree with. However what are the main reasons for it to exist in the first place? It clearly takes significant resources to maintain and is harmful to the government, society and ordinary people.
The short answer might be: "脸皮薄". I.e. someone is very thin skinned and feels under threat. I can't think of anything else. This is probably because that person has made himself a long list of enemies over the years. In terms of its effects, as mentioned in the conclusion, not only does it not "work", it creates the impression that the government is extremely unsure of itself. This is not confidence-inspiring to put it mildly.
Do you think the incessant attempts by Western interests to fund oppositional NGOs etc in countries it wants to ‘regime change’ is the main reason the Chinese government continues to be so wary?
Will liberal intellectuals ever stop chasing their fantasy of being part of the professional elite in a liberal ‘democracy?’
Clearly. They feel that their propaganda machine is no match for that of the West. And in this, they are of course completely correct. But is attempting to close your eyes and ears likely to be a winning strategy?
Yet sometimes radical change comes from unexpected places. So who knows, perhaps the recent emergence of Rednote as a social media platform where East is actually meeting West will prove to be precisely that kind of catalyst.
Thank you 🙏, clear and interesting. I was longing for someone saying what really happens in China.
Not the western propaganda.
It annoys me a lot that even people who believe that the Western media are pressitutes... when the very same media tell something horrible about China, they believe it.
Cognitive dissonance at its best.
You've mentioned it's unlikely that this policy can be maintained long-term, a point I agree with. However what are the main reasons for it to exist in the first place? It clearly takes significant resources to maintain and is harmful to the government, society and ordinary people.
The short answer might be: "脸皮薄". I.e. someone is very thin skinned and feels under threat. I can't think of anything else. This is probably because that person has made himself a long list of enemies over the years. In terms of its effects, as mentioned in the conclusion, not only does it not "work", it creates the impression that the government is extremely unsure of itself. This is not confidence-inspiring to put it mildly.
Do you think the incessant attempts by Western interests to fund oppositional NGOs etc in countries it wants to ‘regime change’ is the main reason the Chinese government continues to be so wary?
Will liberal intellectuals ever stop chasing their fantasy of being part of the professional elite in a liberal ‘democracy?’
Clearly. They feel that their propaganda machine is no match for that of the West. And in this, they are of course completely correct. But is attempting to close your eyes and ears likely to be a winning strategy?
Yet sometimes radical change comes from unexpected places. So who knows, perhaps the recent emergence of Rednote as a social media platform where East is actually meeting West will prove to be precisely that kind of catalyst.
Thanks for your thoughts.
"is attempting to close your eyes and ears likely to be a winning strategy?"
From my perspective, it does seem to be a winning strategy, in light of
- your comments about the Chinese authorities being more responsive to citizens' complaints than elsewhere,
- the broad and continuous improvements in living standards in China, and
- the fact that the West will not stop trying to undermine the Chinese government and political stability in China.
In the material circumstances, it's hard to see the censorship policy as anything other than sensible.
Tbh, radical change is much more needed in places other than China!