Even before the Trump administration’s suspension of U.S. government funding for democracy and human rights projects as part of its freeze on foreign assistance, the American philanthropic sector had already largely abandoned the cause of human rights and democratic reform in China. In the 1990s, the Ford Foundation had a robust program supporting civil society, civil and criminal legal reform, and marginalized communities in China but has since moved away from a strong rights-based focus. As part of a reorganization, the Open Society Foundations has shifted its work to thematic areas as opposed to doubling down on closed societies, such as China.
This retreat comes at a time when Xi Jinping’s rule is marked by growing repression and totalitarian rule that extends beyond China’s borders as PRC agents intimidate and harass activists and ordinary citizens in the United States and other countries.
Because of the private philanthropic sector’s neglect, the U.S. government’s funding suspension is causing a crisis among groups working to nurture political reform, with some civil society groups in China at risk of exti
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