New levels of self-congratulatory pomp were reached today by a People’s Daily editor who was either being wickedly cynical or was sniffing glue. Never have I seen so many “scare quotes” in a single graf, along with so many examples of tortured syntax and bureaubabble. The theme is how other countries casually and erroneously refer to “the China threat” at the drop of a hat (true enough), and how China is, in reality, a friend to all the world and doesn’t have a threatening bone in its body (debatable). Anyway, just a very small sample:
Needless to say, those developed countries are always suspicious and cautious with China’s fast growing economy and society and continuously gain comprehensive national strength. This is the root cause of the “China threat” of all kinds, from “threat of democracy” and “threat of human rights” in early years, to “threat of Chinese textile dumping”, “threat of low labor costs”, “threat of energy demand”, “threat of food supplies”, “threat of financial risks”, etc. later on, to gossip-like “threat of Chinese singles” (it means the future large disproportion between Chinese males and females may cause crises to Chinese people’s marriages, resulting in posing a threat to China’s neighboring countries), to “threat of investment” and “threat of national securities” (for example, the bid of China National Offshore Oil Corporation for purchase of Unocal Corporation of the U.S. and U.S. State Department’s restrictions on use of desktops produced by Lenovo Group, a Chinese corporation). These different variations of the “China threat” can help these developed countries to win public support for their stronger measures for safeguarding their global political, economical and military interests and at the same time, they can contain China by setting barriers to China’s road of building power and enhancing international influences.
However, China’s sincerity and practices of commitment to peaceful development is widely recognized in the world and foreign hostility against China is gradually diminishing, thanks to China’s great efforts in diplomatic affairs. Besides, through frequent multi-lateral communications and bilateral exchanges, many countries have received a refreshed picture of China which does not only stick to her own road but also keeps striving to get close to international rules as much as possible, and meanwhile attaches importance to and makes active response to outer concerns. To put it simply, China’s international environment for reform and opening up campaign is becoming better and better.
Everything’s always coming up roses in these editorials. Except for the tortured souls who actually read this smothering nonsense.
1
By Ahmet
The theme is how other countries casually and erroneously refer to “the China threat” at the drop of a hat (true enough), and how China is, in reality, a friend to all the world and doesn’t have a threatening bone in its body (debatable).
I don’t know how casual it is or whether it is always a knee jerk reaction, but China is definitely a competitor for all of the world’s resources and not in an environmentally responsible way (yes, yes I know that US businesses and governments do not necessarily behave in an environmentally responsible way either, but right now, we are examining China). The lack of a legitimate government based on law is the primary “threat” that China poses to the rest of the world. If a country like the US can act with impunity and irresponsibly in the exercise of its power despite a system of checks and balances, imagine what an amoral, unbridled country led by the criminals of CCP could do. So yes, China is a threat and I’m not sure it’s so debatable.
August 1, 2006 @ 11:28 pm | Comment
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By Philip Sen
Something that truly is not a threat does not need to keep teliing us it’s not a threat. Just like the name of the state – if it truly was a “People’s Republic” then it wouldn’t need to try and reinforce the message. As Ahmet says, the mathematics alone (1.3 billion people) is enough to tell us that China is a major competitor.
August 2, 2006 @ 1:26 am | Comment
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By richard
I’ll buy that, Phil and Ahmet. I do believe The China Threat is a term that’s been abused as a scare device when it comes to hyped up reports about imminent military danger from China, and I can understand their getting defensive about it. When it comes to swallowing the world’s rsources or polluting its air and water, China looms as a major threat indeed (though not the sole threat).
August 2, 2006 @ 1:41 am | Comment
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By Tenzin
No matter how much China may try to clarify as long as its actions belie its intolerance and lack of respect for freedom, China will continue to remain a threat, not just to foreigners, but even to the Chinese people themselves. Here is an evidence of the intolerance of the Chinese Government.
Tibetan poet’s blogs closed down
中文版本
Reporters Without Borders today condemned the sudden disappearance on 28 July of two blogs by leading Tibetan poet Woeser (also known as Oser and, in Chinese, Wei Se). They were shut down by the websites that hosted them – Tibetcul.net, a Tibetan cultural portal, and Daqi.com, a local blog platform – presumably on government orders amid a continuing wave of online censorship in China.
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=18427
August 2, 2006 @ 7:45 am | Comment
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By Liu Yixi
“threat of Chinese singles” (it means the future large disproportion between Chinese males and females may cause crises to Chinese people’s marriages, resulting in posing a threat to China’s neighboring countries)”
I don’t have the time to find a source on this right now, but historically speaking those nations whose populations are imbalanced with regards to gender are more likely to enter into wars, especially if there is a surplus population of young, unmarried men.
August 2, 2006 @ 11:27 am | Comment
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By skystreaker
I’m totally convinced by the editorial.
What are you guys all arguing about?
Now I’m going to watch CCTV news.
August 2, 2006 @ 12:04 pm | Comment
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By Shenzhen Whitey
no more scare quotes were used than their average article on Taiwan.
August 2, 2006 @ 10:00 pm | Comment
8
By Bing
As a chinese, I certainly don’t see china as a threat; on the contrary, I see mordern china as a source of pride.
If others view china as a threat, that’s their business, and frankly, I don’t give it a damn. If China is respected as a lion not loved as a fat lamb, it only means those buthers wouldn’t come to chop china up like they did after the Opium war. That’s not really a bad thing.
Anyway what China needs is respect, not love, from a bunch of hypocrites who murdered the natives for their land, who enslaved blacks for their labor, and who invaded sovereigns for their oil.
All those hypocritical “holier than thou” moral lessons are just tiring and disgusting, and even more so day by day.
August 2, 2006 @ 10:21 pm | Comment
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By richard
Feel the love.
August 2, 2006 @ 10:51 pm | Comment
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By Thomas
“However, China’s sincerity and practices of commitment to peaceful development is widely recognized in the world and foreign hostility against China is gradually diminishing, thanks to China’s great efforts in diplomatic affairs. ”
–Nice to see a People’s Daily editorial admitting that fast talking is the source of much of that recognition in lieu of leading by example. (Note: I say “much of” not all.)
“many countries have received a refreshed picture of China which does not only stick to her own road but also keeps striving to get close to international rules as much as possible”
–Nice to see a People’s Daily editorial admitting that China does not strive to meet international rules but “get close to” them (or bend them, in other words)
August 2, 2006 @ 11:10 pm | Comment
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By Ivan
I wonder how the author of that piece would translate Lincoln’s Gettysburg address into Communist-Chinglish….. ?
August 2, 2006 @ 11:13 pm | Comment
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By davesgonechina
This is the root cause of the “China threat” of all kinds, from “threat of democracy” and “threat of human rights” in early years
Yes, I remember in the 80s when China threatened the world with democracy. That was a close one.
Fortunately, the greatest China Threat today is to prepositions.
August 3, 2006 @ 1:21 am | Comment
13
By Ivan
Dave: No. China’s threat to prepositions is farther down on the list. China’s greatest threat is to tenses, followed by its threat to conjugations. Meanwhile it continues to torture diction, and it murdered plurals long ago.
August 3, 2006 @ 1:46 am | Comment
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By davesgonechina
many countries have received a refreshed picture of China which does not only stick to her own road but also keeps striving to get close to international rules as much as possible
Apparently two sets of international rules that don’t apply to China’s own road are the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic and the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic of 1949. So that road does not permit drivers with international drivers permits or cars with foreign registration. China’s road does, however, allow taxi drivers in the wrong lane.
August 3, 2006 @ 1:59 am | Comment
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By Ivan
From the appendix of Orwell’s “1984”, on Newspeak:
“…Take for example the well-known passage from the Declaration of Independence: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal (etc)’ …It would have been impossible to render this into Newspeak while keeping the sense of the original. …A full translation could only be an ideological translation, whereby Jefferson’s words would be changed into a panegyric on absolute government…”
August 3, 2006 @ 2:10 am | Comment
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By davesgonechina
Don’t forget, Ivan, China’s long war on the definite article.
August 3, 2006 @ 2:10 am | Comment
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By shulan
This (http://tinyurl.com/zqguj
) is too much for the People’s Daily. Now China even is responsible for the bad air quality of America’s west coast. As usually the competent science editors at the People’s Daily have no problem to debunk this new China-threat theorie single handedly by applying advanced scientific methods with Chinese characteristics and are able to present irrefutable factual evidence that this is a myth and nothing more.
August 3, 2006 @ 2:44 am | Comment
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By ahmet
All those hypocritical “holier than thou” moral lessons are just tiring and disgusting, and even more so day by day.
Bing, what is disgusting is the incredible ignorance your post belies, but it appears par for the course for people who are not allowed to access relevant information about their own country. As long as you continue to swallow the poison pills the CCP shoves down your throat it will be difficult to see through the hazy, polluted air in which China finds itself choked (literally and figuratively). Yes, most powerful nations have come to power by abusing and exploiting those who couldn’t defend themselves. What is interesting is that the CCP has always and continues to do that to its own countrymen. I am so sick of hearing about the “People’s this” and the “People’s that.” When are you going to see that that the only “people” are the morons and thugs who make up the CCP and everyone else is merely their chattle?
Space exploration, cranking out industrial product, hosting the Olympics are not much to be so proud of when your government doesn’t value life, education, or the rule of law.
August 3, 2006 @ 10:46 am | Comment