LA Times editorial on China's PR problem

Excellent editorial in the Los Angeles Times today, entitled "China's PR Problem." The gist of the editorial is summed up in the first sentence:

There's something about the international spotlight that spurs Chinese officials to admit wrongdoing, raising doubts about whether they would have done anything without the glare.

But this points to a larger problem for China: Being forced to respond an issue because it can't control the message.

Chinese authorities can act like despots -- if they so desire -- because they control people's access to the facts about environmental disasters, police brutality, prison camps, political arrests, and other embarrassing incidents or policies. Even when the facts get out by word of mouth, control of domestic media coverage means they can sweep things under the rug, or prevent outrage from spreading.

Or can they?

The answer increasingly seems to be, "no, they can't!" It's not just transborder incidents like the environmental catastrophe on the Songhua River, or Hong Kong demonstrations, or negative international press coverage that force China to respond. It's the fact that the Chinese government is losing control over information within its own borders, thanks to widespread use of the Internet, mobile telephones, and an increasingly prosperous and demanding citizenry that is willing to speak out against government incompetence, cruelty, and corruption. The Chinese press is increasingly outspoken, too.

And these trends will continue to grow, causing more embarrassment and problems for the government there. There's not much China's government can do about it -- except, of course, reform itself at all levels, and overhaul the country's legal system to give real rights to its people.