US-China Relations - 167. page

Among an array of negative Chinese official media responses to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s speech on Internet freedom, one Xinhua article blames the U.S. for applying a “double standard.” 

The People’s Website republished a China Youth commentary about Hillary Clinton’s “Remarks on Internet Freedom” speech in support of Google’s challenging the Chinese government. The article quoted Clinton’s words “And censorship should not be in any way accepted by any company from anywhere. In America, American companies must make a principled stand. This needs to be part of our national brand.” It ridiculed Clinton for raising a dispute between one company and its host country’s management to the “national brand” level under the “Internet Freedom” label.

The article claimed that the only reason for U.S. politicians to back Google is because Google has spent $3 million dollars on lobbying government officials.

“Ignoring ones country’s information monitoring, but criticizing China’s Internet management is a clear indication that the ‘Internet freedom’ under the U.S. ‘national brand’ is simply U.S. Secretary Clinton’s boasting about U.S. Internet strategy. It represents nothing more than taking advantage of U.S. technology, capital, and market dominance in an effort to sell U.S. ‘universal values.’ The intended result is to gain commercial, cultural, and political interests for the U.S.

Sources:
1. People’s Website, January 25, 2010
http://media.people.com.cn/GB/40606/10832402.html
2. Secretary Hillary Clinton’s Speech Titled “Remarks on Internet Freedom,”
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2010/01/135519.htm

After Google brought the issue of network hacker attacks originating from the Chinese government into the open, the spokesperson from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology took reporter’s questions concerning hacker attacks.  

The spokesperson said that “China is the largest victim when it comes to hacker attacks.”  

“As to the issue of anti-hackers strategy, the Chinese government’s policy is open, transparent, and consistent. Any suggestion of the ‘Chinese government participating in hacking attacks,’ whether openly or indirectly, is groundless. It’s to defame China. And we are determined to oppose such suggestions.”

Source: Xinhua, January 25, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2010-01/25/content_12867854.htm

Xinhua reported on January 19, 2010, that China held 789.6 billion U.S. dollars in U.S. Treasuries at the end of November 2009, $9.3 billion less than it held in October. China is still the largest foreign holder of U.S. Treasury bonds.

Source: Xinhua, January 20, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2010-01/20/content_12839858.htm

On January 19 2010, the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the U.S.-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security, both governments issued a joint statement “strengthening security and ensuring the alliance remains the anchor of regional stability.”

A survey conducted by the official paper Huanqiu shows that over 90% of Chinese netizens believe that the strengthened U.S.-Japan alliance constitutes a threat to China. A Chinese professor at the Japanese Research Center of Shanghai Jiaotong University said in an interview that the U.S.-Japan alliance is a military relationship, which has undergone several changes since 50 years ago. Today’s alliance is still a strategic prevention targeting China.

Source: Xinhua, January 20, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2010-01/20/content_12841641.htm

He Yafei, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry prioritized three issues on China’s agenda for the United States. “This year both China and the United States need to cautiously and earnestly deal with issue of arms sales to Taiwan, the Dalai Lama, and economic and trade friction, particularly the United States. How to deal with these problems depends on whether or not political leaders, especially the United States government can muster the political determination.”

Source: Xinhua, January 22, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2010-01/22/content_12855052.htm

After the U.S. government approved the Lockheed-Martin sale of Patriotic air defense missiles to Taiwan, China denounced the deal. Obama’s “face change” two months after his successful China visit was due to a joint lobbying by the government, the Congress, the Pentagon and defense contractors.

Several key players were named as key promoters for the missile sale: Lockheed-Martin CEO Robert Stevens, Senator John McCain, Deputy Secretary of Defense William Lynn, U.S.-Taiwan Business Council President Rupert Hmmond-Chambers and Taiwanese businessman Li Hua-Der.

The author believes that this deal triggered a red light to Sino-American relationship.

Source: International Herald Leader, January 18, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/herald/2010-01/18/content_12828519.htm

According to Xinhua, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu stated, at a regular press briefing on January 12, 2010, that China opposes the United States having any form of official exchange or contact with Taiwan.

Jiang made the remarks when asked to comment on Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou’s Honduras tour with a scheduled stopover in the United States. Jiang said, "We demand that the United States abide by the principles laid out in the three Sino-U.S. joint communiqués and properly deal with the related issue with caution."

Source: Xinhua, January 12, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2010-01/12/content_12797259.htm