Thanks for the links! Very interesting.
Yes, I do see gaps in the coverage. The Western media has a wide range of focus, from The Real News Network on YouTube, for example, to mainstream Fox or MSNBC (I rarely watch the mainstream stuff, btw). The Chinese media you’ve pointed me to reads shallow. Are there other sources of news in China that would give a deeper perspective? In English of course.
Here are some observations on some of the content.
China ABC is interesting. The U.S. legal system is a horrible mess. That said, despite all the abuses of power the truth generally wins out. Like the documentary Small Enough To Jail where a U.S. State, New York, goes after a small bank run by Chinese Americans. I strongly recommend that documentary.
Small Enough to Jail shows the horrors of the Western legal system, but also the strengths it has in the final analysis. Seeing all the warts gives me more trust in the system; they are many conduits one can pursue. I’ve also heard from foreigners that they do not get equal treatment in Chinese courts. That’s hearsay of course.
In China Global Television Network I looked at the article about the F-16s. To be fair, the U.S. mainstream media would be just as shallow. Nonetheless, this is all the article says, “Beijing on Wednesday urged the U.S. to stop arms sales to, and end military contact with Taiwan, vowing to impose sanctions on U.S. firms involved in the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan as part of necessary measures to safeguard its interests.”
Why would China worry about Taiwan’s military? We don’t worry about Canada. Taiwan will never be large enough to beat China. And, as you say, much is done to create trade between China and Taiwan, of which there is much. China has jet fighters to sell. Why can’t it sell Taiwan fighters? I don’t believe Taiwan wants to buy fighters from the U.S. I believe they are only buying them because they feel threatened from China’s build-up in the South China Seas. Again, nothing is said about those issues from the Taiwanese perspective. Do mainland Chinese understand how much military China is building up? (I understand and respect the ‘why’).
On Hong Kong, CGTN only seems to have Western commentators. I find that strange. Aren’t there any Chinese commentators? HAHA.
John Ross’s editorial reads like strong-arm propaganda. Just about everything he wrote I found offensive to my intelligence. I’ll pick one, “And then there are people who are confused and have a number of legitimate grievances.” If I was a Hong Konger and China calls me “confused” I’d have a very impolite answer. This doesn’t change my view that China has been very disrespectful to the Hong Kong residents who have marched. Further, Westerners never talk or write “must be confused”. That’s an Asia idiom so I suspect he didn’t write it which is another level of mis-trust generated against China for me.
But again, mainstream media in the U.S. isn’t much better, worse in many ways!
I found China Daily the most disturbing. Again, if there are other points of view in China I’d like to read them.
From what I understand the extradition bill is a blanket bill. In the article it says,
“The legislation would give Hong Kong the power to enter one-time agreements with places like the mainland and Taiwan to transfer criminal suspects.”
Can you show me where in the actual bill it says it will be a case-by-case basis, at Hong Kong local government’s discretion. If the top Hong Kong government is run by Beijing, then there can be no “one-time” agreements. Everything will be a one-time Beijing agreement.
“Thus the protests are continuing, though the bill has been declared “dead”, he said.”
The bill hasn’t been withdrawn. That’s my understanding. Seems China is playing word games here? If China controls all media shouldn’t it hold itself up the highest standards of truth?
Since there have been protests on these matters in Hong Kong for at least 5 years, isn’t this odd?
“But he said it will be a difficult task, given the tense social atmosphere. “It is imperative to restore peace and rationality to society, with both sides showing a willingness to compromise before dialogue,” he added.”
I would think 5 years would be enough time for Beijing to have a dialogue with young people. Why wouldn’t someone in Hong Kong be upset with a government that says it will talk about it but never does?
Maybe I’m brainwashed by Western media but I don’t buy the following at all.
Lau Siu-kai, vice-president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, the nation’s leading think tank on Hong Kong affairs, said anti-China forces in the United States, its Western allies and Taiwan have colluded with Hong Kong’s opposition camp and other local activists. They have taken every chance to destabilize the city in a bid to pressure the Hong Kong government, Lau said.
“Their ultimate goal is to contain China and threaten its national security,” he added.
Seriously, I haven’t met a single Americans who cares who governs Hong Kong. Most Americans pretend Saudi Arabia didn’t mean to kill a journalist in their embassy. Certainly, there is some foreign involvement, but it would be tiny to the point of absurdity.
Also, living in Boston, near Harvard, I feel like I am literally in China. My guess it is the same in the U.K. I can’t be sure, but I don’t believe any of them care what happens in Hong Kong either, except they don’t want to see anyone die.
The protests are 100% based on Chinese views in Hong Kong. Again, to say it isn’t, is disrespectful to their opinions. If China really values their opinions they don’t blame outsiders. As for Taiwan taking “violent Hong Kong activities” for political asylum. That doesn’t sound like they’d get a fair trial in China if China has already decided they’ve violent activists, right?
Again, that is an area that China needs to be right on. It can’t pre-judge people as violent activists and then detain some guy from HK with no information about why. Either China needs to circumspect all the time, or informative as much as possible.
In conclusion, I don’t understand many of the issues. I’m not Chinese. Have never been to Hong Kong. But I have read a fair amount of Chinese history and political analysis. My sense is once again, China has a bad habit of blaming outsiders for its problems and taking all the credit for its successes (like no thanks to the West for all its done to help China!!! Opium Wars are ancient history). No nation is perfect as we all know.
I hope China backs of Hong Kong and Taiwan. I also hope the West backs of its arrogant efforts of which I am very critical. If only the U.S. could be more like China and China be more like the U.S. If only we could make a world with the best parts of each, for they both have half the answer.
