Around 200,000 Chinese citizens from all over China have come to disaster areas in Sichuan to help with rescue efforts, according to official estimations. The Economist wrote in the article "China helps itself" that this impressive commitment by the Chinese people may perhaps be connected to the strong nationalistic sentiment drummed up by perceivably biased Western reporting on the Tibetan riots. It may also be a response to the blanket coverage of the quake in the Chinese media. Fortunately, Beijing seemed to take a positive stance on volunteer activities in the quake region. Xinhua, the official press agency of the government, ran the article "British magazine praises Chinese gov't, volunteers for joint quake relief efforts" just a few days after The Economist published its article.

     

Apart from the spontaneous aid assistance from citizens, NGOs have played a vital part in the rescue work. The Irish Times wrote that until now NGOs have had a much less than welcome reception. From Beijing's point of view, all organizations should be operating under the control of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). In the past, the Party has been highly suspicious of people organizing themselves in groups outside of the state. However, in the confusion after the earthquake that struck Sichuan on the 12^th of May, NGOs were quick to act and because of the magnitude of destruction will be part of rebuilding efforts for a long time to come.

     

The government has not only tolerated NGOs, but has even praised their efforts. The China Daily reported that Ouyang Song, a senior CCP official, called the role of NGOs "active and orderly" and an article about Chinese NGOs appeared in Xinhua titled "Feature: Giant quake proves Chinese NGOs rising force". The Xinhua piece described some of the impressive rescue efforts of Chinese NGOs, had a comment from an NGO observer that argued that the government should provide more space for NGOs, and ended with a quote expressed by NGO director Wang Yongchen: "… I hope we can contribute our strength in a highly organized way as civil organizations are rising to be an important force."       

     

The advancement of civil society in China in recent weeks has not only been initiated by compassionate citizens and NGOs but also, if a new anti-corruption experiment will pan out, by the Sichuan government. NPR reports that there is a rare opportunity for the Chinese people to supervise government officials. In an effort to prevent local government officials from embezzling part of the aid money that is streaming into Sichuan, the local government is planning to use citizens to supervise the aid process. So far the state has started to take down the contact information of interested citizens. Hundreds of volunteers have already signed up. If this process moves forward it will create a unique public participation experiment in the fight against corruption in China.    

     

So where will this lead? Opinions differ on what kind of long-term effect the recent tolerance of NGOs and civil society from the government will have. The Washington Post quoted Guo Hong, a Chengdu-based sociology professor, saying that "the government will not automatically be more open towards NGOs" but it has given them an opportunity to see the power of the grass roots and might start trying to establish a system for how NGOs can operate. Nick Young, a NGO activist who was barred from China, does not think the climate will change in China: "the government does not fear NGOs for what they are but for what they might become" "I'd be surprised if the earthquake changed its policy, because it does not change the political fundamental" he said to the Christian Science Monitor.

     

However, in an opinion piece Tony Kinsella of the Irish Times implies that something fundamental is in fact happening. He argues that four important factors are showing that China is moving closer to a democratic profile: transparency, rule of law, media independence, and civil society. He quotes Alexis de Tocqueville who in 1856 said that "the health of a democratic society may be measured by the quality of functions performance by private citizens". 

     

What is certain is that the Chinese leadership has made huge leaps in terms of accountability in the last 30 years. When an earthquake struck Tangshan in 1976 killing at least 240,000 people, China refused foreign aid and media coverage was limited. The Chinese society is different today and the Chinese leadership is forced to act in a more accountable manner. Zhang Qi, a PH.D student at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, argues that the government's recent actions and reactions in regard to civil society make it clear that Chinese policymakers are aware they need to lift restrictions on social organizations to remain legitimate.

     

In other words, to remain in power the CCP will have to give in to changing times. China is not a democracy, but the Party is becoming increasingly aware that they have to keep a close eye on the will of the people and fold their attitudes into its policies.