Analysing these developments one can conclude that three 'C's direct Xi's policy towards domestic media: Command, Control and Censor. The Chinese government has been growing increasingly wary of even the basic freedoms which the Chinese media had been enjoying during the post-reform phase and after the opening up of the Chinese economy. With the upsurge in Internet users and social media, even if most of the Western social media websites are still banned in China, there has been a growing sensitivity about the role of the media in policy making. Media had also begun to fill the void that exists due to the lack of an effective judicial system. In a number of cases, people prefer to discuss their grievances on social media to put pressure on the government rather than going to court. Freedom of the media also provides people with the necessary space to discuss and analyse government policies and sometimes criticise government decisions. This has made the Chinese government increasingly concerned about the possibility of popular disaffection with the government finding an easy outlet through media. Thus there is a consistent and planned control of the media which can be compared to the situation under Mao Tse-tung. The question now remains how effective this process is likely to be during a time of growing penetration of the Internet and mobile phones, which helps in spreading information and shaping public opinion.
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