As the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen democratization movement in June 1989 nears, China is tightening its clampdown on activists and dissidents, and enacting harsher policies for journalists and Internet bloggers. But if the government wishes to "stabilize" Chinese society, tightening social and thought controls is not the way to go about it. Chinese people's values have diversified as they've become more aware of human and democratic rights, partly due to increasing use of the Internet. It will be imperative for Beijing to push political reforms that lead to greater democracy.
When Xi Jinping became president in March, some intellectuals expected that, unlike his predecessor, Hu Jintao, he would gradually push democratization efforts. But they couldn't have been more wrong. After securing control over the Chinese Communist Party, the government and the military, Xi pursued a course of political and ideological regimentation in a high-handed manner, targeting not only corrupt officials but also journalists, Internet bloggers and pro-democracy and ethnic minority activists.
In July, Chinese authorities detained anti-corruption activist Xu Zhiyong. On Jan. 26, the Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court announced that it had sentenced Xu to four years' imprisonment for "gathering a crowd to disturb public order." Xu, a legal scholar and rights advocate, cofounded the New Citizens Movement, which uses the Internet to call for the upholding of rights that are guaranteed by the country's Constitution. Since Xu was arrested, 40 other activists have also been detained.