Teaching Comparative Government and Politics

Friday, April 03, 2015

Everyone's noticing

It's almost like journalists have read the textbook section on civil society and how the Party and the government in China insist on controlling it. Now, the reporters are seeing examples and writing about them.

Please note that this issue isn't new. It's been going on since pre-revolutionary times. As I suggested awhile ago, the issue has become more visible as the authorities have figured out ways of controlling global civil society.

Chinese law would bring civic groups under state security supervision

China’s state security apparatus has turned its sights on foreign nongovernmental organizations and their domestic partners, which are now bracing for a crackdown.

A new law emanating from President Xi Jinping’s National Security Commission that would regulate overseas NGOs has raised alarm among people who are working here to fight discrimination, improve health or education, or stick up for workers’ rights.

Viewed under the new draft law less as partners of the government and more as a security risk, local advocates fear harassment and arrest…

China’s ongoing crackdown on civil society is driven partly by Xi’s obsession with control but also by fear that foreigners are secretly plotting to overthrow China’s one-party state…

“Chinese leaders argue that the ultimate goal of Western governments is to use their NGOs to orchestrate the collapse of the Chinese Communist Party,” said Julia Famularo of the Project 2049 Institute, an Arlington, Va.-based think tank…

While the draft law could still be revised… Overseas NGOs will be placed under the supervision of the Public Security Bureau, rather than the Ministry of Civil Affairs… In order to register, they would need to find a government agency to sponsor them, a requirement that could prove extremely tough for some.

They are warned not do anything that endangers national security or goes against “China’s social morality” and will have to submit an annual “activity plan” and budget to the authorities for approval…

While foreign groups like the World Wildlife Fund and Save the Children have registered here, others worry that government agencies will be reluctant to sponsor them…