Home -> Law Blog Directory -> International Law Blogs -> China Law Blog

International Law

: China Law Blog

China's Freedoms

By Dan Harris and Steve Dickinson

"Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." Janis Joplin Stupid Pig's China Blog has a very interesting post, entitled, "Freedom in China," on how the Chinese typically view the meaning of freedom differently than those in the West:

The west has generally perceived China to be a country without freedom. That?s why there?s always this talk about no human rights, police brutality, and government regulations over every little thing you do. When someone says this to a Chinese person, they would generally get a reply about how China is free and they never feel repressed. So what gives? Is the west just stupid and know nothing about China or are the Chinese people brainwashed into believing that they are free? I think the reason why there cannot be agreement between the two sides is because they?re talking about different types of freedoms. When the west criticizes China on this issue, they basically point to censorship, restrictions on public assembly, limited freedom of speech, and the repression of independent religious groups. However, when the Chinese people talk about the freedoms that they have, they?re thinking of how they can talk about whatever they want in the privacy of their own homes, how they can go out and walk around in the streets of Beijing at night without fear of getting killed, and the ability to go out and spend their money however they want.

Stupid Pig sees China's increasing wealth as eventually leading to greater "higher" freedoms and I agree.

Full post as published by China Law Blog on June 01, 2008 (boomark / email).