{"64793":{"#nid":"64793","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Wang Commentary on China\u0027s Panic Mode","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis commentary by International Affairs Professor Fei-Ling Wang appeared in The New York Times\u0027 Room to Debate, February 28, 2011.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThe revolutionary changes sweeping through North Africa and the Middle East have touched raw nerves in China. The struggling Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi\u0027s citing of the \u201clesson of Tiananmen\u201d certainly didn\u0027t help.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt is extraordinary to see that the Chinese state, growing rich and powerful, remains easily frightened.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETo prevent unrest, the Chinese government has predictably employed sophisticated media and Internet censorship, as well as enhanced police presence in many cities. Yet so far, the calls for gatherings for the \u0022Jasmine Revolution\u0022 have seemed more like pranks, attracting the attention of some spectators and journalists but almost no real protesters. Regardless, many in the Chinese government have gone into a crisis mode, leading to, among other things, the \u201cpreventive\u201d detention and jailing of some peaceful dissident writers and bloggers, including Ran Yunfei.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt is extraordinary to see that the Chinese state, growing rich and powerful and presiding over remarkable economic growth, remains easily frightened. Oftentimes, we see Beijing exhibit irrational nervousness, as though the government is stuck in perpetual fear of losing control. Despite the huge investments made and the latest technology employed to impose order and stability, the mighty Chinese state often behaves like it is only one tiny misstep away from a total collapse.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EA key reason for this paradoxical sense of insecurity, as it has been suggested by many already, is the profound and growing incompatibility between China\u2019s rapidly expanding economy and diversifying society and the essentially unchanged political system and governance structure, which breed corruption and injustice, making social conflicts and tensions worse.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EA confident and powerful government should not be so deeply distrustful of its own people, many of whom feel genuinely proud of the country\u0027s achievements over the past three decades. A repeat of 1989 is not an option. Festering grievances and conflicts must be taken seriously, and the people given recourse. To head off large disturbances, Beijing must figure out a smarter way to govern a nation of 1.3 billion.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe revolutionary changes sweeping through North Africa and the Middle East have touched raw nerves in China. The struggling Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi\u0027s citing of the \u201clesson of Tiananmen\u201d certainly didn\u0027t help.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt is extraordinary to see that the Chinese state, growing rich and powerful, remains easily frightened.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"27418","created_gmt":"2011-03-07 13:36:01","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:08:18","author":"Lauren Langley","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2011-03-07T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2011-03-07T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"62356":{"id":"62356","type":"image","title":"Professor Fei-Ling Wang","body":null,"created":"1449176369","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 20:59:29","changed":"1475894541","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:42:21","alt":"Professor Fei-Ling Wang","file":{"fid":"191451","name":"Fei-Ling_Wang_200x300.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Fei-Ling_Wang_200x300_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Fei-Ling_Wang_200x300_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":42959,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Fei-Ling_Wang_200x300_0.jpg?itok=v53mOIyV"}}},"media_ids":["62356"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/roomfordebate\/2011\/02\/28\/why-is-china-nervous-about-the-arab-uprisings\/stuck-in-panic-mode","title":"Full Article in The New York Times"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.inta.gatech.edu\/faculty-staff\/listing.php?uID=37","title":"More about Wang"}],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"12187","name":"Fei-Ling Wang"},{"id":"9943","name":"New York Times"},{"id":"167256","name":"Sam Nunn School of International Affairs"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERebecca Keane\u0026nbsp; 404-894-1720\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["rebecca.keane@iac.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}