Pummelling the little platoons

EARLIER this year the Chinese government arrested five women who were campaigning against sexual harassment on buses. This was not because China’s leaders believe that groping is a good thing, or that it is acceptable if perpetrated on public transport. It was because the Communist Party is wary of any organisation it does not control. The five feminists were entirely peaceful, and they were not advocating anything subversive like democracy. But they were organised and demonstrating in public, and that made them seem dangerous. After a month in detention they were released on bail, but they remain under police surveillance and could still be hauled back to face elastic charges such as “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”. Such are the hazards of working for a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in China.Now the party proposes to squeeze NGOs even harder, particularly those with foreign connections. A new draft law bars any Chinese NGO from receiving foreign funding (see ). It also sets out strict rules for foreign NGOs operating in China. These rules, according to the minister for public security, are intended to “protect the legitimate rights and interests of foreign NGOs” in the country. Really?