Introduction

Xi Jinping’s recent success in continuing his third term as the leader of China brings light to an ongoing topic of debate among both the Eastern and Western societies --- is the system of censorship currently employed in China ethical? What are its effects? 

As an authoritarian country, China does not allow much media freedom for its citizens. Out of 65 countries which represented 88% of the internet users, China was ranked last for the least amount of internet freedom. (statistics and graph from freedomhouse.org) Moreover, Reporters Without Borders ranked China at 176 out of 180 countries for the index of press freedom. Under Xi’s control, the Chinese government has aimed to promote nationalist ideologies through limiting the information that is available to its citizens. The enforcement of strict censorship in different media such as literary works, arts, films, textbooks, etc. followed by emphasis of absolute obedience to the CCP through propaganda are means to achieve this goal. This paper will discuss the extent to which this system is practiced and aim to analyze the impacts of them on the younger generation (Chinese citizens who are born during/after the 2000s). 

Online censorship and propaganda

In 2000, the Ministry of Public Security initiated “the Great Firewall”, a system which aimed to implement online censorship by blocking foreign websites or applications which stood as “potential danger” to the Chinese government. For instance, Google “was forced to pull out of China after it refused to comply with government demands to filter its search results.” (Wang, 2020) Yaqiu Wang, an experienced senior researcher who was born and raised in China, reports in her article that “Despite the risks, tech-savvy young people made songs, cartoons and animations to condemn censorship and one-party rule, and photoshopped the country’s top leaders to make fun of them” prior to the establishment of the strict internet censorship; however, with the extent of the Chinese censorship, those actions are no longer allowed. Xu, a reliable author who has written over 20 articles on this topic, reports that China’s online media censorship is further enforced by the process of keyword blocking, monitored and double checked by over two million workers (Xu, 2006) --- all to the ends of removing posts which the government considers to be inappropriate. Essentially, the combination of these practices guarantees the government absolute control over the online information available to people; the CCP is able to limit the amount of criticism/negative comments directed toward the government that Chinese citizens, including the younger generation, can find online, thus building a positive image of themselves.  

In addition to online media censorship, the Chinese government has implemented ways to promote ideas of nationalism. “Xue Xi Qiang Guo'' (directly translated to “study Xi, strengthen China”) is a political application aimed to promote Xi’s ideologies through multiple features such as a map where people are able to see Xi’s speeches made in different parts of China, etc. This application quickly became the most-downloaded app on the App Store in the Chinese region --- but not because people were downloading it voluntarily. According to the same article by the Guardian, the Chinese government urged local authorities to promote the use of the application, leading to some enterprises requiring their employees to score a certain number of points on the quizzes about Xi in the application. Chinese citizens are not voluntarily supporting the CCP; they are forced to conform and memorize the doctrines for the sole purpose of scoring more points on their assessments. The children in China are experiencing the same indoctrination as the adults. Cook is a reputable author of multiple reports regarding censorship in China as well as the research director for China, Hong Kong and Taiwan for the Freedom House. According to her research, a corresponding version of “Study Xi, Strengthen China'' intended for youths was also created, requiring “schoolchildren to study texts related to Xi’s political ideology.” (Cook, 2019) Regardless of the means, the application is successful in the sense that it is able to plant Xi’s political messages in people’s minds, reinforcing their rigid control on its people. 

Why censorship? 

In a study conducted by King, Pan and Roberts, three reliable researchers at Harvard University, they concluded that “censorship [in China] is primarily aimed at restricting the spread of information that may lead to collective action,” instead of to eliminate all negative criticisms toward its government. The authors of this study further conclude that this phenomenon was due to the CCP’s belief that this suppression of “collective action potential” would be the key to maintaining a diverse and very populated country like China. One event of “collective action” that has now become the taboo of China is the 1989 Tiananmen Massacre. Anxiety about the country’s political and economic future in the post-Mao world was the ultimate cause of the rebellion.  Perhaps through the banning of keywords as well as many other means of censorship, the Chinese government is trying to prevent the same tragedy from happening again. For instance, in 2009, Liu Xiaobo, a Chinese rights activist, was “sentenced to eleven years in prison for advocating democratic reforms and freedom of speech in Charter 08, ” (Xu, 2006) where more than two thousand citizens urged reform of human rights and to end the one-party rule in China. Liu had won the Nobel Peace Prize, but news about him was largely covered to prevent drawing attention to his actions. 

The negative impact on Chinese youths

Cook believes that the Chinese government is successful in its efforts to shape people’s minds, especially those of the younger generation, as “young Chinese studying abroad are often unwilling to explore forbidden topics” and even those who study in China lack knowledge about the history of their own country. She believes that growing up in an environment where children could only access controlled/limited information online would lead this generation to be “less open-minded, more nationalistic, more supportive of authoritarian rule, and more isolated from a common set of facts and norms that previously facilitated peaceful international exchanges.” (Cook, 2019) Wang expands on Cook’s idea, stating that the Chinese government’s practices will lead to a “generational split” where the older generation will resist the new government system, while the younger generation (those who were born around the time of/after Xi’s rule) will strongly support it. 

With the strengthening of media censorship and emphasis of Communist ideologies, young Chinese will grow to accept the ideal message that is promoted through media --- to be a nationalist, to show absolute obedience and loyalty to China, and to promote Communist beliefs. The CCP’s method ensures that their political message is implanted in the youth’s minds at a young age; whether these children understand them or not, these thoughts will accompany them as they grow up and shape their values. Chinese scientists who doubt the effectiveness of traditional Chinese medicine are labeled as “Han traitors”; Tik tok’s founder was called “US’s lapdog” when he sold the application’s US operations. 

Conclusion and solution  

Both Cook and Wang call for the foreign educational system to provide support to Chinese students who had been affected by their government’s actions. Cook proposes that in order to prevent students from becoming close-minded, educational institutions abroad should aim to protect the academic freedom and security of their Chinese students, finding other ways to provide them with the “full spectrum of ideas necessary for a 21st-century education.” Wang furthers the argument by saying that countries around the world should continue to support Chinese citizens, including students and journalists, who are “the real agents of change.” As shown by many modern examples of Chinese youths criticizing anyone who speaks negatively about China, nationalistic sentiments among students are growing stronger than ever, and there’s no current sign that it will change in the future; however, with the help of other countries, Chinese youth might be able to avoid the negative effects of censorship in the future. 

Works Cited

Cook, Sarah. “The Chinese Communist Party’s Latest Propaganda Target: Young Minds.” Freedom House, April 30, 2019 freedomhouse.org/article/chinese-communist-partys-latest-propaganda-target-young-minds. Accessed 28 Oct. 2022.

King, Gary, et al. “How Censorship in China Allows Government Criticism but Silences Collective Expression.” American Political Science Review, May 2013, pp. 1–3, doi.org/:10.1017/S0003055413000014.

Kuo, Lily, and Kate Lyons. “China’s Most Popular App Brings Xi Jinping to Your Pocket.” The Guardian, 15 Feb. 2019, theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/15/chinas-most-popular-app-brings-xi-jinping-to-your-pocket. Accessed 28 Oct. 2022.

Wang, Yaqiu. “In China, the ‘Great Firewall’ Is Changing a Generation.” Human Rights Watch, 1 Sept. 2020, hrw.org/news/2020/09/01/china-great-firewall-changing-generation. Accessed 28 Oct. 2022.

Xu, Beina. “Media Censorship in China.” Council on Foreign Relations, 25 Sept. 2006, cfr.org/backgrounder/media-censorship-china. Accessed 28 Oct. 2022.