ABSTRACT
Situating the issue of China's (lack of) freedom of expression in the broader contention between liberalism and China's postcolonial authoritarianism, this chapter focuses on the nuanced yet under-researched “boundaries” of online freedom of expression in the Party-state. Through an effort to chart the ambiguous and dynamic boundaries which are state-imposed but intensely contested by various actors, the chapter argues that the boundaries of online freedom of expression online are collaboratively negotiated between the public, state actors and digital platforms. The negotiation process essentially is shaped by the contention over conceptualising online freedom of expression as “human rights” or as “state sovereignty”. As shown in the case of the discursive contestation over Dr Li Wenliang's death during the Covid-19 outbreak, a liberal framework where Li is defined as a “whistle-blower” contests with a nationalistic framework where Li is defined as a “martyr”, together negotiating or even redefining the boundaries of online freedom of expression. This chapter proposes a more nuanced and transnational approach to understand the state of freedom of expression in China, also contributes to the unsettled debate over the (un)democratising role of the internet in authoritarian countries.
