Baidu's PostBar Forums Provide Useful Context for China's 2013 Human Rights White Paper

On May 26, 2014, the state sponsored China Daily reported:

The Chinese government on Monday released a white paper detailing the progress made in human rights in 2013, highlighting enhanced social fairness, justice and freedom of speech.

"China's progress in its human rights undertaking is there for everybody to see, and every unbiased and reasonable observer can draw a fair conclusion," said the white paper, published by the State Council Information Office under the title "Progress in China's Human Rights in 2013."

Here are some excerpts from the White Paper’s section on Freedom of Speech, along with some screenshots (courtesy of this blog) showing what happens when users search for related terms on Baidu's PostBar (贴吧 Tieba) forums.

From the White Paper: "Chinese people enjoy extensive freedom of speech."(中国社会存在广泛的言论自由。)

The above screenshot shows that a search for "Freedom of Speech" (言论自由) on Baidu PostBar returns a notice saying "Apologies, in accordance with relevant laws, regulations, and policies, this forum may not be opened at this time." (抱歉，根据相关法律法规和政策，本吧暂不开放。)

From the White Paper: "Research and discussion in academic fields cover politics, society, culture and other aspects." (学术领域的探索和讨论，涵盖政治、社会、文化等各个方面。)

The above screenshot shows that a search for "Politics" (政治) on Baidu PostBar returns a notice saying "Apologies, in accordance with relevant laws, regulations, and policies, this forum may not be opened at this time." (抱歉，根据相关法律法规和政策，本吧暂不开放。)

From the White Paper: "Within the range allowed by the Constitution and other laws, the public can discuss political issues freely." (在宪法和法律的范围内，公众都可以对各种政治问题进行自由的讨论。)

The above screenshot shows that a search for "Constitution" (宪法) on Baidu PostBar returns a notice saying "Apologies, in accordance with relevant laws, regulations, and policies, this forum may not be opened at this time." (抱歉，根据相关法律法规和政策，本吧暂不开放。)

From the White Paper: "Important government policies are widely discussed before and after being adopted, and opinions from all quarters can be fully expressed." (政府的重要政策都会在事前和事后得到广泛讨论，各方面立场的意见都能充分表达。)

The above screenshot shows that a search for "Government" (政府) on Baidu PostBar returns a notice saying "Apologies, in accordance with relevant laws, regulations, and policies, this forum may not be opened at this time." (抱歉，根据相关法律法规和政策，本吧暂不开放。)

From the White Paper: "The popularization and improvement of the Internet have dramatically expanded the space of freedom of speech." (互联网的普及和完善，极大地扩展了言论自由空间。)

 The above screenshot shows that a search for "Freedom" (in English) on Baidu PostBar returns a notice saying "Apologies, in accordance with relevant laws, regulations, and policies, this forum may not be opened at this time." (抱歉，根据相关法律法规和政策，本吧暂不开放。) 

From the White Paper:

"The public can express opinions through Internet forums, Netnews, blog/personal webpages, social networking websites, network literature, network videos, microblogs, IM and other Internet platforms. Netizens post an immense number of opinions all the time."
公众可以通过网络论坛、网络新闻、博客/个人空间、社交网站、网络文学、网络视频、微博、即时通信等多种互联网平台发表言论。

The above screenshot shows that a search for "Rights" (权利) on Baidu PostBar returns a notice saying "Apologies, in accordance with relevant laws, regulations, and policies, this forum may not be opened at this time." (抱歉，根据相关法律法规和政策，本吧暂不开放。)