China: Still a long way to go

CNN coverage of Tiananmen Square

This video is kind of telling. Having visited China a few months ago and stood in Tiananmen Square, it was clear they take security in the area very seriously. Plain clothes police and security officials were everywhere. The umbrella technique employed by plain clothes officers in this video has one aim, which is to cloud coverage of the anniversary of the June 4th, 1989 incident in Tiananmen Square, as is the case with the blocking of websites and the blacking-out of news coverage.

It's clear that democracy is a ways off in China. There if very little freedom of speech and press (as seen here), which is vital to the establishment of democracy. The Chinese government has tried to placate people (or at least those who live along the eastern coast), by giving them economic growth in return for their acceptance of one-party rule. Such a deal will only last so long. With the widespread availability of information and technology to the Chinese people, these attempts at censorship can only go so far. Eventually the people will rise up and demand a say in the affairs of their land. History tells us so.