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US-China Relations - 153. page

People’s Daily Online: The U.S. Has a Double Standard on the Internet Freedom

A People’s Daily Online commentary criticizes the U.S. for having a double standard on Internet freedom. “On one side, U.S. demands that other countries provide unrestricted ‘Internet freedom,’ using this to exert diplomatic pressure and seek hegemony; on the other, it applies strict Internet control domestically. 
“In an emergency situation, the (U.S.) federal government has the absolute right to close down the Internet; in the name of anti-terrorism, the U.S. security authorities can eavesdrop on private phone calls, monitor personal online communication, and set up an ‘online water army’ to dilute unfavorable comments with fake information.” 
The article concludes that “It’s a violation of human rights and an act of interfering in other country’s Internet sovereignty. … The intention is clear: (everyone else) should listen to the direction of and observe U.S. orders, but (the U.S.) can occupy and attack wherever it wants, relying on the Internet to seek its own interests.”
[Ed: “online water army” is a Chinese term referring to people, usually temporarily hired, who manipulate social media by using fake online personas to influence Internet conversations.]

Source: People’s Daily online, April 11, 2011
http://opinion.people.com.cn/GB/14360841.html

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China’s Annual U.S. Human Rights Record

On April 10, 2011, two days after the U.S. State Department published its 2010 human rights report, China’s State Council Information Office issued a report on the 2010 U.S. Human Rights Record. “On April 8, 2011, the U.S. State Department released its ‘2010 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices,’ with distortions and accusations on the human rights situations in more than 190 countries and regions including China. However, the U.S. turns a blind eye to its own terrible human rights situation and rarely mentions it. To urge the U.S. to face its own problems, we hereby release the 2010 U.S. Human Rights Record.’”
The report claims “The U.S. has the world’s worst violent crimes.” “Every year, about one fifth of Americans are victims of various crimes, the highest proportion in the world.” “The U.S. has the world’s largest number of privately owned firearms; among the 300 million people in the U.S., about 90 million hold 200 million guns.” “The U.S. has been claiming itself to be a ‘land of freedom,’ but it has the world’s largest number of prisoners deprived of their freedom.”

Source: Xinhua, April 10, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2011-04/10/c_121287373.htm

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China Asks the U.S. to Stop Being a Self-styled Human Rights Preacher

Following the U.S. State Department’s April 8 release of the 2010 Annual Human Rights Report, China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei responded in a press briefing, “The U.S. should reflect more on its own human rights issues, stop acting like a ‘Human Rights Preacher,’ and stop using its Human Rights Report to interfere in the domestic affairs of other countries.” Hong also touted the Chinese government’s protection of human rights.

Source: China News Service, April 9, 2011
http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2011/04-09/2961757.shtml

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Guangming Daily: Obama’s Speech is Worrisome to Humankind

Guangming Daily is a Chinese official newspaper geared toward intellectuals. Joining Beijing’s recent media campaign against the Western forces’ strikes on Libya, Guangming’s website published an article criticizing President Obama’s March 28 speech given at National Defense University. In provocative tones, the article, titled “Obama’s Speech is Worrisome to Humankind,” asks the Obama administration, “Who authorized you to play such a special role in global security? Does this special role mean using military force to bombard a sovereign country and kill innocent civilians?”

The author condemns the speech as “showing the ugly face of U.S. hegemony.” “The U.S. practice is extremely despicable, according to either the international community’s acknowledged rules or the common sense of human rights.”

Source: The Guangming Daily website, March 29, 2011
http://guancha.gmw.cn/2011-03/29/content_1769282.htm.

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Mission in Libya: The U.S.’s Low Profile Leadership

A recent China Review News article analyzed the style the U.S. has demonstrated in the Libyan mission, calling its new strategy “low profile leadership.” Although the U.S. did not decide the timing, lead the attacks, articulate the goal of the mission, or ask for an increase in its military budget, the article disagreed with the opinion that this shows a decline in U.S. power. Instead the author believed this was just a change in leadership style, with the goal of improving the U.S. image, lowering “the cost of managing the world,” and leaving more room for diplomacy.
Source: China Review News, March 25, 2011
http://gb.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1016/3/9/4/101639494.html?coluid=5&kindid=24&docid=101639494&mdate=0325142517
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People’s Daily: U.S. Funding of BBC Widely Questioned

People’s Daily recently published an article saying that the U.S. government plans to give funding to the BBC for the “fight against Internet censorship in Iran and China” and “spreading the value of freedom and democracy.” The funding, estimated to be hundreds of thousands of dollars, is supposed to be used for exploring anti-censorship technology, developing software, and “educating local Internet users on circumventing Internet and television censorship.” The article suggested that this is not the first time for the U.S. government to give funding to the BBC. The plan reportedly triggered “anger” from media sponsored by the U.S. government, such as Voice of America and Radio Free Asia. The U.S. State Department responded that the decision hadn’t been made yet. The article also mentioned that British media has widely criticized the BBC for overpaying its employees with taxpayer money.
Source: People’s Daily, March 24, 2011 
http://finance.people.com.cn/GB/14226532.html
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China Youth Online: In the Eyes of the Hegemonies, There Is Only a Crime against Western Interests

A commentary on China Youth Online condemns Western countries’ military actions as “destroying oil pipe lines, killing civilians, and leaving Libya’s situation even more unstable. Peace loving people around the world profoundly realize that, in the eyes of the hegemonies, there is only a ‘crime against Western interests.’” It concludes, “Although Libya declared a cease fire immediately and expressed willingness to have a dialogue, the Western countries nonetheless conspired to pass the United Nations’ ‘no fly zone resolution’ and immediately started military intervention. Surpassing the United Nations’ authorization and arbitrarily interfering in other country’s internal affairs completely violates the UN Charter. Although they wave the banner of ‘protecting human rights and civilians,’ these are only excuses for consolidating their economic and political interests. Although these ‘hegemonic bullies’ discussed the ‘crimes’ of Qaddafi, to Western interests it is simply a ‘crime of obstruction.’”
[Ed: China Youth Online is a website under the Central Committee of the Chinese Youth League, the Chinese Communist organization for youth between the ages of 14 and 28.]

Source: China Youth Online, March 24, 2011
http://news.youth.cn/sz/201103/t20110324_1525317.htm

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Xinhua: Air Strikes in Libya Are Disturbing; War Cannot Bring Stability

Xinhua published an editorial commenting on the U.S. and European nations’ recent air strikes in Libya saying, “Conflicts should be resolved through peaceful means. Wars cannot end violence or quickly bring about stability; rather, it will but aggravate human disasters.” The Xinhua editorial cited examples of the U.S. military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq. “Today, the two countries are still politically unstable with the local population suffering from continued violence and disasters. The international reputation and image of the instigator of the wars has also been tarnished. It shows that any action that lacks fairness and justice may bring unintended consequences to the initiator.”

Source: Xinhua, March 21, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/observation/2011-03/21/c_121213681_3.htm

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