The annual South - South People’s Exchange of 2010 took place between China and India and focused on the theme of climate change. China and India are two big emerging economies in Asia characterized by rapid industrialization, urbanization and economic growth. Climate change, to both countries, is not just an environmental issue, but one that is connected with urgent and complicated social, political and economical ones, with some international ramifications. Though both countries have similar positions in the UNFCCC negotiations, their domestic policies on climate change, the political space for civil society to engage in with climate change related policies and projects are very different.
The first impression that the Chinese had of Delhi was that of a large construction site, with the air full of sand, cement, and dusts which was reminiscent of Beijing before the Olympics and of many urbanizing cities in China. Nevertheless, the following days of the exchange also demonstrated to us the multiple aspects of the climate and development perspective. For the Indians, the first impression of Beijing was that it was unlike any city in any developing country, but one full of wide roads and modern high rise buildings. In the days that followed in China they also found that poverty was rarely seen, as China had disguised poverty. The Indians’ also gained a deeper understanding of the dynamics at work within Chinese society, including freedom of speech, and the compromise and struggle of civil society there.
After the two trips, in which I participated, I would like to reflect on the following: first the meaning of development in relation to climate change, and secondly the political space and implication of freedom of speech, and finally, the way civil societies in both countries work.
Meaning of development in relation to climate change
The theme of the exchange program was climate change, yet most of the issues in the exchange were linked to the fundamental question of “what development is” and “who the development is for”. These two questions mean different things to different people. To many Chinese, development is closely linked with economic, manufacturing, exportation, and infrastructure growth. The environmental and social cost of such development is inevitable, and people who bear the development cost should demand compensation from the government. Meanwhile, it is generally believed that economic development is good for the nation and will ultimately benefit the population at large. This view we have heard by talking to most mainstream scholars, representatives of the urban middle class, and to some university students.
Climate change, in China, has become a political debate over the right to development in an international arena. Many people see climate change as a bargaining chip used by developed countries to prevent development of developing country. Hence, the Chinese governmental agenda are closely linked with development, development of more power plants from hydropower dams, nuclear, wind and solar, development of low carbon economy, circular economy. “Economic Development”, the main trigger to climate change, has become an engine that cannot stop operation, and people who try to critically reflect on the development model and reflect on climate and energy policy versus biodiversity and protection are being marginalized.
In India, development is interpreted in different ways. While some Indians have the same view as the Chinese on development, many others link development to climate crisis, to social equality and justice. In India, peoples’ movements are very vigorous, and they look at the development projects critically. They link climate change, rights of indigenous people, social justice directly with the development projects. They have more political space to question the governments’ plan and people who are impacted by the development projects can say yes or no to the project. Unlike the Chinese government that dominates the whole development discourse, the Indian government is more tolerant of public criticism and resistance, and conducts more negotiations.
Political space and implication of freedom of speech
In India, civil society has a lot of political space for talking and criticizing development discourse from different angles, and they can protest against the development projects in public with far less constraints than their counterparts in China can. They also talked openly to foreigners about their problems. In China, on the other hand, such political spaces are very limited. The Chinese may debate and criticize development issues on websites anonymously or in secret among close friends, but many, especially if they happen to be scholars from government supported institutes and NGOs with close government linkages, feel uncomfortable to discuss development issues in front of foreigners, who they are meeting for the first time. This is partly due to national security and self-censorship, and partly due to nationalism. During their China visit, the Indians felt that Chinese civil society has a weak voice in challenging the government’s objectives and policies on climate change. For instance, when the Chinese government declared that China will reduce energy intensity by 40% to 45% in 2020, many NGOs did not question whether this will really help reduce carbon emission, but rather searched for ways to support government departments to realize the change, either by conducting low carbon economic modeling, or by targeting a particularly influential national enterprise to help them meet their target. On Clean Development Mechanism, although we find many scholars are questioning its effectiveness, some local NGOs see this as an opportunity to protect the environment and try to initiate good forest pilot sites on CDM.
Role of civil society
In India, we often heard that civil society plays the challenging role of an opposition against the government’s policy, and they collaborate with members of parliament in policy debates. Hence, to pass a government policy or a development project will take a lot of time because of debates and negotiations with a lot of public involvement. In China, policy making and development project approval are quite dominated by different government departments and most of the policies are made with no public involvement, except for some government funded scholars. Civil society groups are seen as marginal groups in society and they are constantly monitored by national security agencies. To influence policy, the common approach is to cooperate with a relevant governmental research institute or department and conduct research, and make reports and policy briefs to the government. Most of the environmental NGOs that we have talked to, regardless of whether their work is connected to climate change, energy, pollution or poverty, use similar approaches to engage government in their advocacy. When Indian friends tried to challenge them to question their government’s policy, for instance, that carbon intensity may not necessarily reduce carbon emission, their reply was “we know about it but our space is very limited, climate change now is politically linked with development, and development in China is still at the top of the agenda, we can only use our limited space to pressure government to meet the commitment.” Many NGOs in China are pragmatic, and through their work try to monitor or make the government accountable on what it has publicly stated and committed.
Whereas in India, civil society is very vocal and action oriented, and they work in association with networks and platforms from extending from the local to the national and international level. These networks provide protection, resonance and support from different places. Hence, if their work or their freedom of speech has been threatened by the government, they can immediately call for support from their network members nation-wide. Their works are more linked to balance the social equality and justice of the development discourse in the first place.
On the whole, delegates from the two exchange trips have gained a lot of information on civil society’s activities and movement on climate change, and a deeper understanding of the culture, political and social situation of the two countries. Despite the different political systems and political space that civil society enjoys in the two countries, a lot of cooperation can be built and continued between China and India.
China-India People
