Muzzling China's professionals may prompt poor policy

Subject

The status of the professions in China.

Significance

The Xi administration has successively targeted the intellectual professions, including journalism, academia and legal practice. This profoundly affects the generation and circulation of information within China's political system, and eliminates potential venues for dissent and change.

Impacts

• Greater reliance on think tanks affiliated with Party and state bodies for policy advice will aggravate departmental protectionism.
• Surveillance and social monitoring efforts through information technology will be stepped up.
• Contact between China and the outside world through the intellectual professions will be curtailed, impairing people-to-people dialogue.