The Danger of Opacity in China

The dangers of bottling up openness and transparency are illustrated in this article from the Christian Science Monitor.  

“Not only do past cases like secrecy and coverups about diseases like SARS and avian flu in recent weeks call into question China's preparedness for international standards - but there is a hefty domestic political issue for Beijing as well: a widening gap between what might be called "official" and "unofficial" China.”

This story talks about how the Harbin disaster was covered up for days before officials were forced to make it public.

http://csmonitor.com/2005/1128/p01s03-woap.html