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Editorial: China can't fight the Internet

Mainland Affairs Council Vice Chairman Johnnason Liu (劉德勳) on Friday confirmed that Beijing has partially lifted the block on Taiwanese media Web sites in some regions in China. This is a long overdue but highly welcome move, despite the restrictions that remain in place.

It is no secret that many Web sites containing information Beijing considers "sensitive" are blocked from public access. Virtually all Web sites run by Taiwanese media outlets, as well as those that sell books and magazines, are declared off-limits. Indeed, Taiwan Yahoo's Internet Web site is blocked within China. It goes without saying that all Taiwanese government Web sites are inaccessible to the Chinese public.

The purpose is obviously to keep the Chinese from learning about news and information on Taiwan that could highlight their differences and incite social discontent and unrest. Frankly speaking, the Chinese government's fear of the potential impact of granting a free flow of information is not without basis.

Consider the case of the public's reaction to the arrest of President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) son-in-law, Chao Chien-ming (趙建銘), on insider trading charges a few months ago. While most Chinese consider Chen a "separatist" and a "traitor," many of them could not help but express envy and admiration for a democratic system that allowed the arrest of such a high-profile personality.

Contrast this to China, where corruption among high-ranking government officials and their family members is rampant and has become a major cause of social unrest. It would be unimaginable that the immediate family of a top official like Chen could be subjected to the same impartial treatment by the law and judiciary in China.

Fearing that the event would showcase the difference in Taiwan's and China's political and judiciary systems, Beijing has kept mum on Chao's case and eventual conviction early this year in Taiwan.

Despite Beijing's efforts, it has become virtually impossible to stop the free flow of information on the Internet. Even if the Chinese government manages to block some key Web sites, it cannot monitor and block out all Web sites which may contain "sensitive" information. Neither can it stop international coverage of key events in Taiwan which end up in foreign media Web sites.

As interaction between peoples from both sides of the Taiwan Strait increases, information continues to be exchanged -- be it through verbal communication or the print media. Add in all the Internet chat rooms where people can post news stories and publish their thoughts on these stories.

Blocking "sensitive" information is not the solution to maintaining social and political stability. Rather, Beijing should commit itself to reform to give the public hope that China could also follow in the footsteps of Taiwan and become democratized.

Political, social and economic reforms are urgent tasks for the Chinese government. With the free flow of information, the Chinese public, especially peole in rural areas, have increasingly become aware of the social and economic inequality that exists in China, and between it and the rest of the world. How can this gap be closed? That is the question Beijing needs to address.
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