It's a coevolutionary arms race, it follows a predictable cycle of escalating attacks and defenses until a stable equilibrium is reached, or the environment changes.
The thing is that in this case the government of China appears to have decided that it cannot afford to do without the internet; and that means that they cannot 'win' in the ultimate sense, as by allowing filtered communication they are opening a channel on which illicit communication can be carried. And from what little I know of it, the chinese government isn't attempting to enforce a particular orthodoxy, they just don't want to be swept away by the social changes that are in progress. My sense is that a few foreigners looking at strange ideas doesn't bother the Chinese government, but large groups of young people getting exposed to new and exciting ideas all at once does.
It's an open secret in IT industry. And I think the policy will not help, but intensify the discontent under the ground, and it will harm the society in the long run. But given the flaws of the institution, I don't think it will change in the near future.
The thing is that in this case the government of China appears to have decided that it cannot afford to do without the internet; and that means that they cannot 'win' in the ultimate sense, as by allowing filtered communication they are opening a channel on which illicit communication can be carried. And from what little I know of it, the chinese government isn't attempting to enforce a particular orthodoxy, they just don't want to be swept away by the social changes that are in progress. My sense is that a few foreigners looking at strange ideas doesn't bother the Chinese government, but large groups of young people getting exposed to new and exciting ideas all at once does.