Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian is a journalist covering China from Washington. She was previously an assistant editor and contributing reporter at Foreign Policy.
The Google logo is reflected in windows of the company's China head office as the Chinese national flag flies in the wind in Beijing on March 23, 2010 after the US web giant said it would no longer filter results and was redirecting mainland Chinese users to an uncensored site in Hong Kong -- effectively closing down the mainland site. Google's decision to effectively shut down its Chinese-language search engine is likely to stunt the development of the Internet in China and isolate local web users, analysts say. AFP PHOTO/LI XIN (Photo credit should read li xin/AFP/Getty Images)
Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan, arrives for a working dinner at the White House March 31, 2016 in Washington, DC.
World leaders are gathering for a two-day conference that will address a range of issues including ongoing efforts to prevent terrorist groups from accessing nuclear material. / AFP / Olivier Douliery (Photo credit should read OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP/Getty Images)
A Chinese police stops foreign journalists at a gate of the Chaoyang hospital in Beijing, where blind activist Chen Guangcheng is believed to be getting a check up, in Beijing on May 2, 2012. Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng has left the US embassy to seek medical care and join his family, officials said Wednesday, as Beijing demanded a US apology on the eve of key talks between the two powers. AFP PHOTO/Mark RALSTON (Photo credit should read MARK RALSTON/AFP/GettyImages)
BEIJING, CHINA - SEPTEMBER 03: Chinese military vehicles carrying DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missiles, potentially capable of sinking a U.S. Nimitz-class aircraft carrier in a single strike, drive past the Tiananmen Gate during a military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two on September 3, 2015 in Beijing, China. China is marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and its role in defeating Japan with a new national holiday and a military parade in Beijing. (Photo by Andy Wong - Pool /Getty Images)
A luxury car driven by a Chinese official is parked in front of the Great Hall of the People during a session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, 10 March 2001. China's top judicial officials said Friday they were winning the war against graft and vowed to step up the 'strike hard' campaign against corruption plaguing the country's government. AFP PHOTO/Stephen SHAVER (Photo credit should read STEPHEN SHAVER/AFP/Getty Images)
BEIJING, CHINA - DECEMBER 28: (CHINA OUT) A visitor takes photos near the National Center for the Performing Arts on December 28, 2015 in Beijing, China. Beijing welcame sunny days after several-days' heavy smog last week. (Photo by ChinaFotoPress/ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images)
Chinese workers produce various components at the Mansfield Manufacturing plant in Dongguan, southern China's Guangdong province on October 20, 2008. At least 2.7 million factory workers in southern China could lose their jobs as the global economic crisis hits demand for electronics, toys and clothes, as the region has seen massive export-driven expansion in recent years by supplying the world with cheap consumer goods, but rising production costs and falling US and European demand have marked a swift end to the boom. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)
