Feminism in China

"A women’s rights organization linked to two of the five Chinese feminists whose detention in March set off an international outcry ceased operations after pressure from the authorities led most of its staff members to quit and funding dried up.

Wu Rongrong, one of the five detained women and the founder of the Weizhiming Women’s Center in Hangzhou, China, said she had no choice but to shut down the organization on May 29 after four of her six full-time employees and most of the center’s volunteers left after they and their families came under police investigation

Zheng Churan, another of the five activists detained just before International Women’s Day, when they planned to campaign against sexual harassment on public transport, had served as Weizhiming’s project manager since its founding in August 2014, Ms. Wu said in an interview on Friday. Ms. Zheng had explained that she could no longer work for the group because of the tremendous pressure she felt while in detention and since the women’s release in mid-April.

Ms. Wu said that work at Weizhiming was largely suspected after she was detained on March 7 and the organization’s office was searched, as most staff members left and those who remained feared that working on advocacy campaigns could lead to further detentions. The group’s funding, which came mostly from local and overseas foundations, ran out, Ms. Wu said, and they could no longer pay their rent after May.

“I thought things should be fine as there weren’t a lot of questions about Weizhiming,” she said, referring to police interrogations. “But after I was released, we found it was just impossible for us to do our work.”

Ms. Zheng, reached by text message, declined to be interviewed.

Conditions for nongovernmental organizations in China have grown more restrictive since President Xi Jinping took office in 2013. The country is considering legislation that would put all nongovernmental organizations, domestic and foreign, under closer supervision and would limit foreign funding for local groups. On May 29, the Communist Party announced that a Politburo meeting had decided that party groups should be set up in all social, cultural and economic organizations.

The Beijing office of Yirenping, another organization associated with the detained feminists, was raided in late March after it called for the women’s release. Both Ms. Wu and Ms. Zhu formerly worked at Yirenping, which fights discrimination against people infected with H.I.V. or hepatitis, or with physical disabilities. Li Tingting, who was also among the five, still works there. In April, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the group was “suspected of violating the law.”

On Tuesday, a spokeswoman for the committee working on Beijing’s bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics was asked how the crackdown on Yirenping could be reconciled with the anti-discrimination pledge Beijing signed when it applied to host the games. She denied any knowledge of the group, Reuters reported.

Ms. Wu, 30, was denied medical treatment for hepatitis for nearly two weeks and was forced to sleep on the floor while in custody at the Beijing Haidian Detention Center, where the five women were held. After she was released and returned to Hangzhou in late April, she was harshly interrogated by the police, which left her “emotionally broken,” her husband has said.

Ms. Wu said on Friday that she would rest before making any plans for the future.

“I’ve been in this field for 10 years,” she said. “In the future, even if I’m on my own, I’d still like to keep advocating women’s rights.”

But her troubles are far from over. Her activities will be monitored for a year, and as one of the conditions of her release she must submit a monthly “report of thoughts” to the Hangzhou police.

“It’s likely that my phone is tapped and our conservation is monitored, too,” she said. “But it’s okay. I’m just telling the truth.”

You can support Chinese government, this has nothing to do with opposing feminist NGOs.

"USA and western friends use NGOs as weapons of US and western hegemony. " Some might be, and Chinese paranoia over it would show how fragile their beliefs are.

"The Chinese Government needs to take the attacks of foreign and domestic anti-China forces very seriously." I think they shouldn't see diversity and freedom of expression as "anti-China threats" or be afraid. Not every opinion is an attack. And even if it is... Why bother?

But you know, if there was a Chinese Donald Trump he would love you. A lot of Chinese people would see you as a laowai friend because you echo their fears. You're right that we don't agree with each other, I see civil society and the statement "I support Chinese government" as very different things.

First of all, I see associations and lobbyists in another category. Feminist NGOs and US Meat Export Federation or Software Alliance are very different things and should be seen differently.

Of course every person and organization is subjected to the laws of the country where they are.

About feminism: I don't think it's a Western value.
About financial, economical and trade associations: I don't think economics or trade is a zero sum game. With free trade, everybody wins. Without rule of law and equality, everybody loses. I can see that some US organizations are competing with Chinese ones, and this is only natural. Their having "impact on Chinese commerce and industry" is natural too and not devilish at all.

I fully agree with Xi Jinping that foreign NGOs must "Obey Chinese law". These hostile NGOs should feel lucky not to be banned all together. Chinese police must have the right to seize NGO documents and examine their bank accounts. An annual assessment of NGOs is vital to the national security of China.

If I was running China I would be a lot harder on anti-China NGOs. I would be tougher than Russia on hostile western/US NGOs. I fully agree with holding domestic members of foreign backed anti-China NGOs - and I would be a lot harder on them. I would probably charge them with treason.

Look -

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The letter, reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, was signed by 45 groups representing industries ranging from technology to agriculture to entertainment. They include the American Apparel and Footwear Association, the American Petroleum Institute, BSA The Software Alliance, the Motion Picture Association of America, the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, the U.S. Grains Council and U.S. Meat Export Federation, among others.

[…] In their letter, the groups said the scope of the law was overly broad, including in its definition of “nongovernmental groups” trade associations, overseas chambers of commerce, and professional associations, a move that the groups said could severely impact Chinese commerce and industry. They also raised concerns it would put management of such groups under the Ministry of Public Security, suggesting that Beijing sees the groups as a potential threat. Currently such groups work closely with a variety of commercial and other agencies.

The law, “if enacted without major modifications, would have a significant adverse impact on the future of U.S.-China relations,” the letter said.
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WSJ

Can you believe these foreign devils?

In some contexts 'US values' and 'western values' can be used interchangeably. But I agree that binary world view is not the best. USA values are very different to values of other 'western' nations a lot of the time.

I think that what I was saying in my comment in my blog is that I disagree with you and support the Chinese government. USA and western friends use NGOs as weapons of US and western hegemony. The Chinese Government needs to take the attacks of foreign and domestic anti-China forces very seriously.

And you still think Western values vs. Chinese values and that Chinese government should regulate NGOs because of this? You write this under a blog about feminism so it sounds like Western values (feminism) vs Chinese values (the lack of it).