Connecting China - Is a civil society possible? - Amy Gu

The Western concept of a civil society popped up this weekend in a discussion with Amy Gu, participant of Connecting China, who has moved from the mainland to Hong Kong, and although it is less than an hour travel, both societies differ greatly.
“What is that,” Amy Gu wonders. “A civil society? That is different from a government society, like in China, where the government is in charge of everything?” The idea that there is a distinction between parts of the society that is being done by a government, like foreign relations, defense and policing, and a part that is organized by civilians themselves does not exist among China’s citizens as a feasible option
It does exist in Beijing, at the central government, who tries to withdraw from doing business and wants to stop regulation every square millimeter of society. But since most of the local government officials and China’s citizens cannot image a society can run without profound government involvement, discussions on whether such a society is possible are tough.
“The culture will not change that fast,” argues Amy. “Just look at China’s history. This is all a very interesting theory you are telling me about how the central government wants to change China, but I have not heard that before. I know the government is trying to develop business, not that they want to change the whole society.”
I explain how in the Netherlands wages and labor conditions are set in negotiations between employers’ organizations and trade unions. Amy: “So, they do not need the government anymore? Trade unions are not very important in China. This is not a basic concept in China, and I do not believe it will ever happen.”