Kissinger Institute Webcast: Is China's Door Closing?

Ever since Deng Xiaoping launched his reforms in 1978, "openness" (对外开放) has been a central tenet of Chinese policy. While the actual degree of China's openness has varied from time to time and sector to sector over the past 38 years, the trend toward greater liberalization of society, institutions, and the economy has been clear.

 

Until recently. The passage of China’s foreign NGO law raises doubts about Xi Jinping’s commitment to further opening and reform. The law, which places foreign NGO’s under the supervision of the Ministry of Public Security, is the latest in a series of regulations meant to control “hostile foreign forces.” Surveys indicate that foreign companies are concerned about tightening business regulations in China and wonder whether they are as welcome as they were in recent decades. International journalists and publishers, too, are finding it difficult to obtain visas and to reach Chinese audiences. Is China’s door closing to foreigners? Why are conditions changing for international actors in China? How should the United States respond?
Our panel discussed the future of American NGO’s, corporations, and media in Xi’s China.
Moderator: Robert Daly, Director, Kissinger Institute on China and the United States

Speakers

• Erin Ennis

  Senior Vice President, US-China Business Council

• Isaac Stone Fish

  Asia Editor, Foreign Policy

• Shawn Shieh

  Deputy Director, China Labour Bulletin

- See more at: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/chinas-door-closing#sthash.uHk5ZtC8.dpuf

Ever since Deng Xiaoping launched his reforms in 1978, "openness" (对外开放) has been a central tenet of Chinese policy. While the actual degree of China's openness has varied from time to time and sector to sector over the past 38 years, the trend toward greater liberalization of society, institutions, and the economy has been clear.

 

Until recently. The passage of China’s foreign NGO law raises doubts about Xi Jinping’s commitment to further opening and reform. The law, which places foreign NGO’s under the supervision of the Ministry of Public Security, is the latest in a series of regulations meant to control “hostile foreign forces.” Surveys indicate that foreign companies are concerned about tightening business regulations in China and wonder whether they are as welcome as they were in recent decades. International journalists and publishers, too, are finding it difficult to obtain visas and to reach Chinese audiences. Is China’s door closing to foreigners? Why are conditions changing for international actors in China? How should the United States respond?
Our panel discussed the future of American NGO’s, corporations, and media in Xi’s China.
Moderator: Robert Daly, Director, Kissinger Institute on China and the United States

Speakers

• Erin Ennis

  Senior Vice President, US-China Business Council

• Isaac Stone Fish

  Asia Editor, Foreign Policy

• Shawn Shieh

  Deputy Director, China Labour Bulletin

- See more at: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/chinas-door-closing#sthash.uHk5ZtC8.dpuf

Ever since Deng Xiaoping launched his reforms in 1978, "openness" (对外开放) has been a central tenet of Chinese policy. While the actual degree of China's openness has varied from time to time and sector to sector over the past 38 years, the trend toward greater liberalization of society, institutions, and the economy has been clear.

 

Until recently. The passage of China’s foreign NGO law raises doubts about Xi Jinping’s commitment to further opening and reform. The law, which places foreign NGO’s under the supervision of the Ministry of Public Security, is the latest in a series of regulations meant to control “hostile foreign forces.” Surveys indicate that foreign companies are concerned about tightening business regulations in China and wonder whether they are as welcome as they were in recent decades. International journalists and publishers, too, are finding it difficult to obtain visas and to reach Chinese audiences. Is China’s door closing to foreigners? Why are conditions changing for international actors in China? How should the United States respond?
Our panel discussed the future of American NGO’s, corporations, and media in Xi’s China.
Moderator: Robert Daly, Director, Kissinger Institute on China and the United States

Speakers

• Erin Ennis

  Senior Vice President, US-China Business Council

• Isaac Stone Fish

  Asia Editor, Foreign Policy

• Shawn Shieh

  Deputy Director, China Labour Bulletin

- See more at: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/chinas-door-closing#sthash.uHk5ZtC8.dpuf

Ever since Deng Xiaoping launched his reforms in 1978, "openness" (对外开放) has been a central tenet of Chinese policy. While the actual degree of China's openness has varied from time to time and sector to sector over the past 38 years, the trend toward greater liberalization of society, institutions, and the economy has been clear.

 

Until recently. The passage of China’s foreign NGO law raises doubts about Xi Jinping’s commitment to further opening and reform. The law, which places foreign NGO’s under the supervision of the Ministry of Public Security, is the latest in a series of regulations meant to control “hostile foreign forces.” Surveys indicate that foreign companies are concerned about tightening business regulations in China and wonder whether they are as welcome as they were in recent decades. International journalists and publishers, too, are finding it difficult to obtain visas and to reach Chinese audiences. Is China’s door closing to foreigners? Why are conditions changing for international actors in China? How should the United States respond?
Our panel discussed the future of American NGO’s, corporations, and media in Xi’s China.
Moderator: Robert Daly, Director, Kissinger Institute on China and the United States

Speakers

• Erin Ennis

  Senior Vice President, US-China Business Council

• Isaac Stone Fish

  Asia Editor, Foreign Policy

• Shawn Shieh

  Deputy Director, China Labour Bulletin

- See more at: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/chinas-door-closing#sthash.uHk5ZtC8.dpuf

On June 28, I spoke in Washington D.C. on a panel at the Wilson Center's Kissinger Institute on China and the U.S. on the topic "Is China's Door Closing?" Below is an introduction to the panel and a link to the webcast of the panel which addresses whether China is closing its doors to foreign NGOs, businesses and media.

Is China's Door Closing?

Ever since Deng Xiaoping launched his reforms in 1978, "openness" (对外开放) has been a central tenet of Chinese policy. While the actual degree of China's openness has varied from time to time and sector to sector over the past 38 years, the trend toward greater liberalization of society, institutions, and the economy has been clear.

Until recently. The passage of China’s Foreign NGO Law raises doubts about Xi Jinping’s commitment to further opening and reform. The law, which places foreign NGOs under the supervision of the Ministry of Public Security, is the latest in a series of regulations meant to control “hostile foreign forces.” Surveys indicate that foreign companies are concerned about tightening business regulations in China and wonder whether they are as welcome as they were in recent decades. International journalists and publishers, too, are finding it difficult to obtain visas and to reach Chinese audiences. Is China’s door closing to foreigners? Why are conditions changing for international actors in China? How should the United States respond? 

Our panel discussed the future of American NGOs, corporations, and media in Xi’s China.

The event was webcast, and footage of the entire panel is available on our website at: 

https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/chinas-door-closing

Moderator: Robert Daly, Director, Kissinger Institute on China and the United States

Speakers

• Shawn Shieh

Deputy Director, China Labour Bulletin

• Erin Ennis

Senior Vice President, US-China Business Council

• Isaac Stone Fish

Asia Editor, Foreign Policy

Ever since Deng Xiaoping launched his reforms in 1978, "openness" (对外开放) has been a central tenet of Chinese policy. While the actual degree of China's openness has varied from time to time and sector to sector over the past 38 years, the trend toward greater liberalization of society, institutions, and the economy has been clear.

 

Until recently. The passage of China’s foreign NGO law raises doubts about Xi Jinping’s commitment to further opening and reform. The law, which places foreign NGO’s under the supervision of the Ministry of Public Security, is the latest in a series of regulations meant to control “hostile foreign forces.” Surveys indicate that foreign companies are concerned about tightening business regulations in China and wonder whether they are as welcome as they were in recent decades. International journalists and publishers, too, are finding it difficult to obtain visas and to reach Chinese audiences. Is China’s door closing to foreigners? Why are conditions changing for international actors in China? How should the United States respond?
Our panel discussed the future of American NGO’s, corporations, and media in Xi’s China.
Moderator: Robert Daly, Director, Kissinger Institute on China and the United States

Speakers

• Erin Ennis

  Senior Vice President, US-China Business Council

• Isaac Stone Fish

  Asia Editor, Foreign Policy

• Shawn Shieh

  Deputy Director, China Labour Bulletin

- See more at: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/chinas-door-closing#sthash.uHk5ZtC8.dpuf

Talking about Chinese Philanthropy and Civil Society in the U.S.

I'm currently on home leave in the U.S., supposedly on vacation but at this point more work than vacation.  I figure now that I've left the Great Firewall I should use this opportunity to blog at least once, just to say I did it.   So this post is pure in the sense that it hasn't been filtered or laundered through a VPN or anonymous proxy.

While on home leave, I'm taking advantage of being on the east coast to promote the work I've been doing with China Development Brief, in particular our special issue on New Trends in Philanthropy and Civil Society that is appearing on our website at www.chinadevelopmentbrief.cn.  I just finished a talk at the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations today on that topic.  The talk was held at the Luce Foundation's conference room in their lovely 30th floor office with beautiful views of the city.  There was haze on the horizon which made me feel like I was in Beijing, right at home!

I couldn't imagine a better venue for my talk than the Luce Foundation.  Luce is one of the big names in philanthropy and they have a major Asia program to improve U.S. understanding of Asia.  There is also a China connection.  Henry Luce set up the foundation as a tribute to his parents who were missionaries and educators in China during the first half of the 20th century.  All four of the Luce children were born in China.  So to give a talk on philanthropy and civil society in China at the Luce headquarters seemed very fitting.

The talk went smoothly, aside from some initial technical problems with the computer.  I spoke about my work with China Development Brief (English), and spent some time discussing what constitutes the nonprofit/NGO/philanthropic sector in China before getting to the meat of the talk which was to lay out the major findings from the 12 articles we translated for our special issue on philanthropy and civil society.

For those interested, my discussion of the nonprofit sector and the major findings will be laid out in an introduction to the special issue that should be on our website soon.  Given the anxiety in the U.S. about the human rights situation in China, I expected more questions about the political situation for nonprofits in China, but there were none, though that may have had something to do with the limited time for Q&A.

In any case, the main purpose of my talk, beyond promoting CDB, was to send the message that there is a great deal of change going on in the nonprofit world in China despite the recent crackdowns on individual activists.

Next week I'll be giving a talk on the same topic next Tuesday, July 26 at the Kissinger Institute of the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. 

After that, a week in San Diego and then back to Beijing where I may finally be able to take that vacation!