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RUEHGH/AMCONSUL SHANGHAI 0282
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 0283
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RUEKJCS/DIA WASHDC 0327
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC 0092

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 GUANGZHOU 000644 
 
SIPDIS 
STATE FOR EAP/CM, INR/EAP, and EEB/CIP 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/20/2034 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM SCUL KWWW SOCI EINT KEMS CH
SUBJECT: CHINESE BLOGGERS FEEL INCREASING GOVERNMENT PRESSURE 
BUT REMAIN HOPEFUL 
 
Ref: a) 08 BEIJING 4522 
 
GUANGZHOU 00000644  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
Classified By: Consul General Brian L. Goldbeck.  Reasons 1.4 
(b) and (d). 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The Chinese government has been tightening its 
grip on the Internet, and the trend won't be reversed any time 
soon, according to prominent bloggers attending the 5th Annual 
Blogger Conference (Septel).  Bloggers viewed the role of the 
Internet in Chinese society alternatively as a virtual public 
square and a training ground for the government and people. 
Netizen conference goers also rallied around the fall of the 
Berlin Wall 20 years ago, comparing it to China's Great 
Firewall and their hope for its ultimate destruction.  End 
Summary. 
 
---------------- 
Feeling the Heat 
---------------- 
 
¶2. (C) "The Internet situation in China is worsening," said 
Zhang Shihe (aka Lao Hu Miao, strictly protect),  who was part 
of a panel of some of China's most well-known bloggers 
speaking at the 5th Annual Blogger Conference on the current 
state of the Internet.  He said that the Internet space had 
become "smaller" in the last two years, and he fears that the 
trend will be permanent.  Prolific blogger Yang Hengjun 
(strictly protect), another panelist, expressed similar 
sentiments, adding that blogging is an increasingly dangerous 
activity in China. 
 
¶3. (C) In a separate meeting, Yang told ConGenOff that the 
Chinese government's control of the Internet had become much 
tighter in the last two years, particularly since the lead up 
to this year's National Day on October 1.  Chinese Internet 
users account for almost 25% of the population, and should 
thus be considered a form of mass media, said Yang. 
Therefore, he argued, the Chinese government is beginning to 
feel an urgency to strengthen its control.  Yang believes that 
the recent tightening is not a temporary policy, but will be 
long-term because the Chinese government has continued to take 
measures to further censor Internet content.  According to 
Yang, his writings no longer appear on the first page of chat 
rooms and other websites as they have in the past. 
Consequently, his writings have gone from receiving 1 million 
hits a day to around 35,000 hits, he explained. Other 
attendees noted that their hope for post-October 1 National 
Holiday loosening of online censorship had not materialized. 
 
¶4. (C) Conference organizers Wen Yunchao (aka Bei Feng, 
strictly protect) and Mao Xianghui (aka Isaac Mao, strictly 
protect) pointed to China's current political situation as the 
reason for the Chinese government's Internet clamp down. 
Specifically, Wen said the Chinese government feels that it 
does not have a good handle on society.  Mao added that the 
government recognizes and fears the strength of the social 
force that can be generated through the Internet.  David Feng 
(strictly protect), a longtime conference participant, also 
pointed to the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and significant 
anniversaries in 2009 as reasons for the government's harsher 
line.  He expects little to change in the next two years given 
the November Asian Games in Guangzhou and the May to October 
World Expo in Shanghai in 2010. 
 
------------------------------- 
Hot on the Trail of the Censors 
------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) The more outspoken bloggers attending the conference 
said their sites were closely observed by the Chinese 
government censors, and they had a good sense of which 
comments posted to their blogs were authored by the so-called 
"fifty-cent club." (Note: The "fifty-cent club" refers to 
people hired to write pro-government comments on the Internet. 
They are reportedly paid fifty "Chinese cents" (i.e., one-half 
of one renminbi) per post. (ref a) End note.) According to Mao 
in a separate conversation with ConGenOff, many bloggers 
believe that one group of censors is headquartered in 
Beijing's Chaoyang District where approximately 60 people work 
 
GUANGZHOU 00000644  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
around the clock to monitor, block, or delete certain Internet 
content.  Mao believes that the head of this operation is the 
president of Beijing University of Posts and 
Telecommunications.  Mao said that netizens often received 
tips from the censors themselves on how to avoid Internet 
censorship. (Comment: Mao's description likely only accounts 
for a small portion of the mechanisms charged with censoring 
the Chinese Internet.  We have not been able to independently 
confirm Mao's claim about the censorship unit in Chaoyang, nor 
the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications 
president's involvement.  End Comment.) 
 
--------------------------------------- 
Internet Connects and Enlightens People 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (C) The Internet is the virtual "square" where citizens can 
gather and collectively voice their opinions, said Yang 
Hengjun during a meeting with ConGenOff.  It is a tool for 
freedom of speech, and many citizens can utilize this tool 
without having to step foot outside their house.  Yang 
explained that the Internet enlightens not only Chinese 
citizens, but also the Chinese government.  Through the 
Internet, Chinese citizens can learn about what is really 
happening in China and internationally.  Likewise, the Chinese 
government reads what is posted in cyberspace and reacts to 
it.  This is a good thing, said Yang, because it is important 
for the government to know what is of concern to the public. 
Evaluating the power of the Internet, Yang said that it had 
changed China dramatically in terms of law and political 
management.  He explained that a few high-ranking officials 
had met with prominent bloggers to discuss current events and 
economic development and had drawn on policy and legislation 
ideas found in Internet writings.  However, Yang also said 
that the Chinese government's control of the Internet allows 
the state to use it as a propaganda tool.  Assessing the 
Chinese government's online public relations efforts, Yang 
said that it's doing a good job projecting a positive image. 
(Comment: Over the last four years, the Chinese government 
appears to have increased and improved its online presence 
through concerted efforts to centralize and professionalize 
online information about governmental developments and 
national events.  End comment.) 
 
¶7. (C) For Mao Xianghui, the Internet's main role is to 
connect people.  He points to the blogger conference as an 
example of the Internet bringing people with common interests 
together and enabling them to work towards for a common goal. 
People in China are beginning to realize the Internet's power, 
and the Internet will inevitably have an effect on government 
officials at all levels, said Mao. 
 
¶8. (C) In a speech at the conference, Ran Yunfei (strictly 
protect), a blogger known for his outspoken and sarcastic 
style, held a more cautious view of the Internet's influence. 
The Internet will not immediately change Chinese society, 
warned Ran, but he too believes that in time, the Internet can 
help the Chinese government "learn to compromise" with the 
citizens.  Ran said that as competent as Premier Wen Jiabao 
appears, he does not understand that public criticism is a 
citizen's right.  Ran explained that Chinese citizens need to 
"train" the government, not through violence, but through law. 
The Chinese government is not accustomed to criticism, he 
argued, so it needs to be trained to accept criticism.  Ran 
reasoned that if criticism is rationally delivered to the 
government by the public, the government will slowly become 
accustomed to it.  At the same time, Chinese citizens must 
also train themselves to follow the law to make this process 
effective.  Ran called the Internet a public training ground 
for both Chinese citizens and the Chinese government. 
 
------------------------------ 
Berlin Wall and Great Firewall 
------------------------------ 
 
¶9. (C) Bloggers at this year's conference rallied around the 
fall of the Berlin Wall, repeatedly comparing the event and 
its symbolic significance to their efforts to tear down the 
Great Firewall.  During a panel discussion, Zhang Ping (aka 
 
GUANGZHOU 00000644  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
Chang Ping, strictly protect), a celebrated blogger and former 
journalist, commemorated the 20th anniversary of the fall of 
the Berlin Wall, calling it the greatest achievement of the 
last century.  He then predicted that the fall of the Great 
Firewall would be the greatest achievement of this century. 
Likewise, Teng Biao (strictly protect), a Beijing human rights 
lawyer and co-founder of Open Constitution Initiative (aka 
Gongmeng), which was shut down by authorities in July, 
compared the two "walls" and quickly won enthusiastic applause 
with his call to "tear down the Great Firewall."  Others with 
whom ConGenOff spoke made similar statements.  Zhang Le 
(strictly protect), a second-time conference participant, 
talked emotionally about the Berlin Wall as a motivator and a 
model for China's online community.  He said that if the East 
Germans were able to risk their lives to tear down the Berlin 
Wall, then what does that say for Chinese citizens and their 
drive for freedom.  David Feng, another attendee, said it was 
only a matter of time before "the fall of the wall" became a 
reality. 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
Chinese Bloggers Remain Hopeful for the Future 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶10. (C) In the final sessions of the blogger conference, Yang 
Hengjun had this assessment: "Writing blogs in China is 
dangerous, but at the same time, a beautiful thing."  He 
concluded that if the Chinese government did not change the 
Internet, the Internet would change the regime.  Conference 
organizer Mao Xianghui said that despite the Chinese 
government?s tightened grip on the Internet, the government 
was also learning from the Internet.  He believes that the 
Internet can and will change the government mindset over time, 
and that netizens will "win in the end."  Wen Yunchao 
speculated that the Chinese government might pull a 180 and 
cooperate with bloggers once it realizes that it cannot 
completely control the Internet.  He said that the government 
might very well start viewing the blogging community as a 
resource and not fight it.  Though some disagreed with his 
prediction, Wen said that it was not entirely impossible. 
David Feng, believing that the government would loosen its 
hold on the Internet in two or three years, said he was 
placing his hopes on Vice President Xi Jinping, whom he 
described as more forward thinking and practical than current 
President Hu Jintao. 
 
¶11. (U) This cable was coordinated with Embassy Beijing. 
 
 
GOLDBECK