The Great Chinese Firewall: A Safeguard or Stop Sign?

There is a new China on the world stage today. This is a China that is no longer isolated from the rest of the world, a China that has experienced economic and technological booms that have it positioned as a key player in the global economy. Despite this new façade, the ways of old China lie just beneath the surface. For behind this economic engine, is a government clinging to tight control over its people and their networks of communication. This two-sided state has set the stage for a collision course where the conflicting philosophies of old and new clash in a struggle for control. In no other realm have the two philosophies crashed together more directly than in the area of technology. The Chinese government has taken a hard stance on Internet usage. Is this stance a safeguard for a country that finds itself in unchartered waters, or is it a stop sign to future economic gains? This paper will attempt to answer this question by looking at China’s historic economic run and the country’s developing relationship with the Internet.