China’s cyberspace regulator has introduced an initiative to target excessive formalism and bureaucracy within state digital applications and social media. However, China observers caution that officials could exploit this system for personal profit.
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) mouthpiece, People’s Daily, reported on Dec. 18 that the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission (CCAC) issued a guideline in an attempt to enhance the efficiency of government apps and social media platforms and prevent digital bureaucracy, a bureaucratic phenomenon known as “formalism on the fingertips.”
The CCAC is an administrative office tasked with managing internet-related issues.
It said that the initiative, which could take up to five years to implement, comes as Chinese leader Xi Jinping recently remarked on avoiding “red tape and bureaucratic tendencies,” the People’s Daily reported.
This digital bureaucracy refers to filling out redundant forms, tedious check-ins, and highly inefficient video meetings on government apps, among other things, according to the state broadcaster CCTV. To alleviate the burden at the grassroots level, the initiative aims to regulate the management of state apps, public accounts, and workgroup management through software.
‘Enhance Control Over Society’
Although Beijing “claims to crack down on formalism, in reality, it’s about strengthening the digital governance system,” said Mr. Wang. “The CCP’s fundamental goal is to enhance control over society.”
He took the popular propaganda app Xuexi Qiangguo—which translates as “study Xi, strong nation” or “study the great nation”—as an example. Developed by Alibaba, the app contains video games on teaching users to learn ““Xi Jinping Thought.”
The ideology—also known as “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era”—is based on Xi’s directives, speeches, and writings, which shape his “China dream” or pursuit of global hegemony.
Party members, workers, and students are required to study Xi’s writings on the app, and authorities monitor their progress.
“Every day, you have to log into the app, check in, and then report how much time you spend online, what activities you participated in, and the response rate. Along with it is a series of exhausting assessments,” Mr. Wang explained.
He said the CCP is like a cult because “it wants to control the public by venturing into new territories, such as the e-government network. It requires the people to publicly swear allegiance when registering in the network, highlighting the pervasive nature of the CCP’s influence.”
He said the new software the initiative plans on creating could foster corruption among officials because each program comes with a budget “encompassing various aspects like design, development, operation, and maintenance.” This could create an interest group, he said, and that’s why it could easily take up to five years to develop and implement the campaign.
“Therefore, officials would just routinely collect the funds by using various excuses but neglect their duties,” said Mr. Wang.
Political commentator and economist Li Hengqing said, “Xi Jinping has grand ambitions and acts impulsively on his ideas.”
Xi won’t hesitate to remove anyone who fails to carry out his plans, “or even arrest them on corruption charges. In his view, almost everyone is susceptible to corruption and could face arrest,” Mr. Li said.
Judging from the statements of the CCAC regarding the campaign, Mr. Li believes it appears to be a mere formality.
“They claim the plans are ambitious and will achieve specific goals within five years, with various assessment criteria in place. Doesn’t this sound formalistic?”
Cheng Jing and Luo Ya contributed to this report.
