From the New York Times this morning, a report on censorship in China. The opening paragraphs tell the story:
“Before his high-profile visit to China last week, Vice President Dick Cheney insisted that Beijing leaders allow him to speak, live and uncensored, to the Chinese people.
After weeks of intensive negotiations, Mr. Cheney was granted that measure of openness — but not one millimeter more.
Anyone who tuned into CCTV-4, China's all-news television channel, at shortly after 10 a.m. last Thursday could have watched Mr. Cheney deliver an address to students at Fudan University in Shanghai. A State Department linguist provided simultaneous interpretation.
The broadcast, however, received no advance billing in the Chinese news media and was not repeated. And authorities promptly plastered leading web sites with a "full text" of the vice president's remarks, including his answers to questions after the speech, that struck out references to political freedom, Taiwan, North Korea and other issues that propaganda officials considered sensitive.”
As a measure of the Chinese government’s dishonesty, this incident is revealing. Referring to a censored transcript of a foreign dignitary’s speech as the “full text” shows the lengths to which the Chinese Communist Party will go to preserve power. It also shows that despite successive “reform” movements, the CCP remains as self-serving today as it was during the Cultural Revolution, the Great Leap Forward or any other pre-reform human rights debacle.
The lies and doublespeak that go for official policy in China are best captured in another quote from the Times story, “An editor at the People's Daily website involved with preparing the transcript denied that any censorship had occurred. The editor, who declined to be identified, said missing sentences or sections are attributable solely to the speed with which the transcript was prepared.”
Hong Kong and Taiwan do not fear informed citizens. With unhindered access to western news reports like this one, why would their citizens ever trust the Chinese government?
Posted by publius at April 19, 2004 01:17 PM