How China’s Restrictions on Civil Society Create Spaces for Activism Abroad

• In Event: Chinese Politics Mini-Conference: China’s Role in International Relations and Its Worldwide Impacts

Abstract

The operating environment for civil society in mainland China and Hong Kong has changed dramatically under the Xi Jinping administration. New regulations including the 2017 Overseas NGO Law and the 2020 National Security Law, as well as broader campaigns against illegal social organizations have reined in both domestic and foreign NGOs. In response, many domestic activists have decided to leave mainland China or Hong Kong. The “exit” of activists raises several questions. What has happened to these activists following regulations and campaigns limiting their activities? Why and when do they decide to “exit”? Do they engage in new activities or continued activism from abroad? To what extent do these actors find support from INGOs or other communities abroad? What kind of influence can these actors have on the politics of China or policies toward China from abroad? This paper investigates these questions through interview data with Chinese activists-in-exile and their potential INGO supporters and funders abroad. Together, these two sets of actors’ adaptive strategies have resulted in the ongoing reconstruction of civil society both inside and outside of China’s borders. By mapping out their respective adaptive strategies and continued activism, this study shows how the repression or limitation of civil society under authoritarianism could create new spaces for activism from abroad.

Authors

• Elizabeth Plantan, Stetson University

• Diana Fu, University of Toronto