Access to Foreign Internet should be allowed in China

China has been accessed to the internet permanently since 1994. However, steps for controlling the internet were initiated by the Ministry of Public Security of China in 1997. In 1998, the Great Firewall project was founded (Elizabeth,2018). As the name of this project suggests, the role of this project is to build a wall between the Chinese internet and the internet abroad to regulate China’s internet domestically. Chinese people’s access to some selected foreign websites, such as Google, YouTube, and Meta, was blocked in mainland China. Some people argue that the Chinese government should keep running the Great Firewall project because it contributes to Chinese social stability and economic development throughout the decades.

However, limiting accessibility to foreign websites is not a fundamental solution to achieve long-term development. I am going to argue that allowing access to foreign websites in due time will be a better choice because it will contribute to more global citizens in China and a better globe finally.

It is important to think about whether China should keep running the Great Firewall Project because the Chinese government’s attitude toward internet limitation and censorship may have impacts on other countries’ attitudes and measures on the same issue. In extreme cases, the happens of deglobalization is possible while under the influence of the mutual limitation of cross internet access. My analysis of whether or not the Chinese government should keep running the Great Firewall Project will make people recognize the importance of critical thinking to contribute to better human beings, as well as a better globe finally.

Information makes who we are in a way. As a result of accessing the foreign website, Chinese people will have more internet variety. For instance, except for the widely publicized and accepted views in China, Chinese people will have the opportunity to understand different views from people with diverse backgrounds from the world. Being aware of the diversity of the world and people’s multiple ideas will make Chinese people more open-minded. In other words, with respect and understanding of different points of view, people’s horizons are broadened. Chinese people can practice and improved their ability of critical thinking consequentially. Therefore, Chinese people will see the world more objectively and rationally.

As a result of this critical thinking, I think Chinese people will become better global citizens. Instead of only thinking about the Chinese government’s point of view and what it said, Chinese people will consider the ideas of people from all over the world. They will absorb different points of view, and judge from themselves about which perspective is right. People will live differently while having the ability to make judgments critically. If people only take what their own country said, they may not always do what is best for the world. When Chinese people are more critical thinking, they will consider both benefits of China and the benefit of the globe while putting ideas into practice and making a balance while making decisions. Chinese people will become better global citizens in this way.

With more and more highly qualified global citizens in China, a better globe will be contributed consequently. The high-quality development of society cannot be separated from the progress of human beings. As a country with more than 1.4 billion population, the advance of the mind of Chinese people is nonnegligible. The influence of large amounts of global citizens in China could lead to different political decisions and make a better globe consequently.

Here some may object that the existence of the Great Firewall System in China contributes to its social stability and economic development. However, I am going to point out that this will only benefit China in the short run. The lack of critical thinking people is a great risk to the country. China’s current stability and economic development are based on the correct guidance from the country’s leaders. When the ideas and guidance propagated by the state are correct, there may be no problem arising temporarily. However, when the countries’ leaders are wrong in their thinking and give the wrong directions on the country’s further development, the existence of many people without critical thinking ability will only make the situation worse. These people, who will only support the ideas of leaders blindly, whether it is right or wrong, will become the accomplices to the social turbulence and regression.

For example, the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution from 1966–1976 in China can be a good historical event to support the importance of people’s independent critical thinking. This cultural revolution begins because of the president of the Chinese Communist Party Mao Zedong’s misjudgment that China “was moving too far in a revisionist direction, with an emphasis on expertise rather than on ideological purity” (history.com, 2020) and across the whole country finally with the support of his crazy fanatic. The Cultural Revolution dealt a heavy blow to the economy and traditional culture of China, with 1.5 million people killed and millions of others suffering from loss of property, imprisonment, torture, and humiliation (history.com, 2020).

Therefore, drawing lessons from history, having more people with critical thinking ability can reduce the occurrence of man-made social instability to a certain extent. In other words, cultivating people’s ability of critical thinking is essential to the future development of society and will contribute to a better world. It is right that the Great Firewall Project bring somewhat benefit, such as economic development social stability, to China in the past. But it is not the solution to the long-term development of China, long-term stability and development will come only after we have better informed global citizens. Hence, Chinese people need access to foreign websites to become better global citizens and make a better world.

However, a fact is that the Chinese government was further strengthening the Great Firework Project over the recent years. For example, the Chinese government blocked some VPNs in China to make it harder to get around the Great Firewall system (Liu, 2017). Complete removal of foreign internet access restrictions may not happen in a short time. Higher economic development and a higher degree of democracy within the country need to be achieved to change the current situation. The global approach of the Great Firewall project, which is the freedom of accessing foreign internet, is still in a long way. But it will be achieved finally with the realization of the larger long-term benefit compared to the short-term benefit as well as the high development of both economy and democracy in China.

Works Cited

Elizabeth. “The great firewall of China: Xi Jinping’s internet shutdown.” 29 June 2018. https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/jun/29/the-great-firewall-of-china-xi-jinpings-internet-shutdown. Accessed 30 Jan 2022.

History.com editors. “Cultural Revolution.” 3 April 2020.https://www.history.com/topics/china/cultural-revolution. Accessed 30 Jan 2022.

Kevin Liu. “China Just Made It Even Harder to Get Around the Great Firewall.” 23 January 2017. https://time.com/4642916/china-vpn-internet-great-firewall-censorship/. Accessed 30 Jan 2022.