Controling the internet tougher when it grows - Shaun Rein

Shaun Rein

China passed this week the threshold of 802 million users and with less than 60% of citizens online, growth is not stalling. And while China's government has a reputation of controlling the internet, that growth can jeopardize control, says business analyst Shaun Rein, author of The War for China's Wallet: Profiting from the New World Order, to the South China Morning Post.

The South Morning China Post:

“[Expansion of internet access] is a double-edged sword. It’s good for internet companies, and good for the government if they want to control the population better, but it also means there are more risks,” said Shaun Rein, the managing director at China Market Research Group. “It’s easier for a lot of criminals to push gambling, pornography or drugs because it is such a large internet market.” 

As of June this year, seven in 10 Chinese internet users have shopped and paid for purchases online. About 566 million people use mobile payment, an increase of 7.4 per cent compared with six months earlier.

More at the South China Morning Post.

Shaun Rein is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers' request form.

Are you looking for more internet experts at the China Speakers Bureau? Do check out this list.

China is no Libya, but not out of danger - Helen Wang

Helen Wang

China has no Khadaffi-style ruler, lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty, writes Helen Wang in Forbes. But the increased government control shows its rulers do not think China is immune for a home-made popular uprising.

The last few years saw a regression in the government’s openness. Since 2008, the Chinese government has increasingly censored the Internet, detained dissidents, and disbarred lawyers who are actively involved in civil rights and corruption cases.

If the government thinks the tightened control will help maintain stability, it will prove to be the opposite. The demonstrations in the Middle East provide a clear case that the more repressive the regime, the more chaos and protests it will brew. The “Jasmine Revolution” seems not going away. Boxun issued a new call for protest in 23 cities around China this coming weekend. It encourages people to take part of the “non-violent and non-cooperative” demonstration by “strolling, watching or pretending to pass by.” “As long as you are present,” the statement says, “the authoritarian government will be shaking with fear.”

 Read in Forbes why Helen Wang thinks the government should loosen control.

Helen Wang is the author of The Chinese Dream: The Rise of the World's Largest Middle Class and What It Means to You. She is also a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. When you need her at your meeting or conference, do get in touch.

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