International NGOs in China: A case study of Greenpeace East Asia and its environmental protection advocasies

• Main Author: Binondo, John Philip
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2015
• Subjects: Greenpeace East Asia; Civil society—China; Environmental protection—China; Environmental protection—Public relations —China; Social media and society—China; Non-governmental organizations—China; Environmental policy—China
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/faculty_research/5845
• Institution: De La Salle University

This study surveys the current condition of state-civil society relations in China particularly in the area of environmental protection. By tracing how the concept of civil society has evolved in China since it opened up to the rest of the world in the late 1970s, this paper will present the current characteristics of civil society in China. In doing this, the study also aims to tackle how non-government organizations (NGOs) have been an integral part of civil society. Using the Gramscian concept of counter-hegemony, it attempts to see the role of international NGOs like Greenpeace East Asia in creating an effective space to advocate environmental concerns in climate and energy, toxic pollution and food safety. Moreover, the study also takes a closer look at how NGOs like Greenpeace East Asia use alternative media in their online activism to strengthen their campaign and advocacies. The major thrust of this research is to provide evidence showing how critically linked online activism is to the effective creation of space for counter-hegemony. Based on the data gathered, the use of alternative/social media platforms have indeed been integral to the success of environmental campaigns not only in spreading public awareness but even policy reform on part of both government and corporate businesses.