Peace Programs

What role is online dialogue playing in political reform?

As a leader in the global economy, China has been tolerating greater citizen access to online information, with a watchful eye. This is having an inevitable and remarkable impact on all facets of China's social, economic, and political life, as it has had in nations worldwide. According to the Pew Internet Project, there are an estimated 137 million Internet users in China, a number that is growing. Very soon, China will boast the largest number of Internet users in the world.

The Carter Center sponsors several Web sites in China that have become popular platforms for gathering information and exchanging views on political reform.  One Web site is www.chinaelections.org (Chinese) and www.chinaelections.net (English).  Its focus is to promote better governance and elections in China, and is acknowledged by many quarters as the most influential portal on political reform in China.  Another web site, www.chinarural.org, is the most comprehensive Web site on village elections and villager self-government in China.  Most recently, the China Program, in collaboration with The Carter Center's ATI project, launched www.chinatransparency.org, a website aimed at helping citizens implement new rights to access to information.  Most of these Web sites' editors are inside China, part-time and located in different regions of China. And, though these websites always adhere to Chinese government policies, in recent years China's hold on censorship has become more tolerant to different voices.  Thus, the China Program's experience with online platforms has shown the Internet to be a powerful tool in facilitating dialogue on political reform issues and reflecting popular will within China.