As seen in the loud protests before the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, many Chinese have truly demonstrated anti-US sentiment and nationalism both in China and abroad. For the Western world, an increasingly powerful China is also an increasingly expanding and arrogant nation. Since the future leaders of China are among them, this is an issue that will have an influence on world peace. The following is an article from the International Herald Leader [1], a newspaper under the Xinhua News Agency, the Chinese official media.

Five years ago, the International Herald Leader published an article that claimed that Internet nationalism had opened a new page in Chinese nationalism. Five years later, in the spring of 2008, Chinese Internet nationalism completed a real evolution in virtual space.

Immediately after the serious violent incident in Lhasa on March 14, some websites were created to criticize the Western media’s biased and distorted reports, calling people to go to the streets, using their flesh bodies to defend the Olympic torch. In March, with the help of the Internet, in China and abroad, tens of thousands of ordinary Chinese coincidentally showed the world what the true public opinion of the Chinese nation really is. Some western media have had to admit that "the outburst of China’s nationalism is not from top to down," but it also a reflection of a prevalent "new patriotism" among the Chinese people.

About five years ago, International Herald Leader wrote an article, asserting that Internet nationalism had opened a new chapter in Chinese nationalism, predicting, "Internet nationalism is a new starting point, not an ending point." This music chapter was played again this spring, with three new "precedents;" it confirmed the former prediction. Chinese Internet nationalism has completed its real evolution in virtual space, and has blown the horn to march forward.

Three new precedents

After the March 14 incident in Lhasa, a considerable number of Western media blatantly distorted the truth. They completely showed their sinister intentions and their attitude of arrogance. At the same time this also demonstrated their poor methods. In their report, the police from Nepal and India became Chinese police and emergency vehicles became China’s vehicle to ship prisoners. The liars used such a simple way to deceive the public. Thus Chinese Internet users in China immediately brought out the truth.

The Western media, which has a monopoly on television, newspapers and other traditional media, did not realize that the Internet’s subversive impact on traditional media occurs not only in Europe and the United States, but also in China. This time, due to the rise of Chinese nationalism, this revolutionary means of using the Internet as a media and communications tool created three new "precedents” in Chinese Internet nationalism.
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First, the broad geographic is unprecedented. From Beijing to San Francisco, from London to Paris, in such a short period of time, the Chinese around the world combined their resources and not only broke through the Western mainstream media’s language barrier, but also successfully launched a large-scale counterattack. They exposed the lies of the Western media, and immersed those waving the rag a few call ”Tibet independence” amidst an ocean of people waving the five-star Chinese flag. The Internet, as a low-cost communications tool, played a decisive role. Without the help of the Internet, it would have been inconceivable to get so many overseas Chinese to act together.

Secondly, the amount of agreement was unprecedented. Earlier, Chinese in China and overseas, could all feel they were separated by territory and by administrative power. Although the subjects of Chinese people’s attention are similar, their views are quite different. The cursing and fighting on the Internet has become a common phenomenon in Chinese forums worldwide. But this time, the voices of Chinese all over the word were shockingly similar. This indicates that, for the issues that involve the fundamental interests of a country or nation, the Chinese people are capable of reaching a high degree of consensus.

Third, the significant effect is unprecedented. The anti-US sentiment and nationalism of Chinese in China and overseas, were fully displayed. Although not all western media that lied were compelled to change their attitude as a result of pressure from Chinese Internet users, and even fewer apologized, still to be able to have the western media bow to Chinese people’s opinions is itself a landmark since Chinese Internet nationalism was formed. With the nature of Internet’s nature, the Chinese Internet users supervise the western media. This represents a model for a vulnerable nation breaking through the western soft language hegemony.

Endnotes:
[1] International Herald Leader, April 15, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2008-04/15/content_7979309.htm

Chinese citizens’ reactions to western media reports on Tibetan issues have surprised many western people. Chinese people’s global protests of western media and western governments reflect the Chinese government’s long-term influence. During this movement, the official state-run media attack from China along with the criticism of individual top officials from Europe and the U.S. encouraged Chinese citizens’ sentiments of nationalism and boosted anti-American feelings. Below is an article from the Xinhua website criticizing Paula Dobriansky, the U.S. Undersecretary of State [1]

The Washington Post on Monday, April 21, published an article titled “The Way Forward in Tibet” by Paula J. Dobriansky, the Undersecretary of State for democracy and global affairs in the U.S. State Department, and her capacity was specifically labeled at the end of the article as the “U.S. special coordinator for Tibetan issues.”

First of all, her role as a coordinator invites some questions. Common knowledge tells us that a coordinator has to be accepted or approved by both parties in a dispute, whereas the capacity of Dobriansky here is the outcome imposed by the U.S. government, a third party from the outside, and the Chinese government has never recognized her as she has wishfully imagined or thought of.

Secondly, as a coordinator, one should keep to an uninhibited, impartial and just stance, whereas Dobriansky not only listens to and believes in one side, but openly shields one party and blames the other party, without any fairness to speak of.

Thirdly, a coordinator should have an in-depth understanding and make rather extensive studies on the problems that are to be dealt with. If one has a smattering of hearsay knowledge, makes frivolous comments and talks a lot of nonsense, he or she will make himself or herself a laughing stock. Apparently, Dobriansky has made such a ridiculous error.

Then, let us first look at her knowledge of Tibet. By relying solely on, or basing herself on, distorted reports from a few Western media and briefing reports from the U.S. embassies and consulates, she citied the March 14 Lhasa incident as “peaceful protests” and demanded for China to release people. How could you demand this so harshly, if it is not out of an ill intention? So many video scenes recorded by both Chinese and foreign cameramen obviously show “Tibetan independence” protestors setting fire to stalls, attacking schools, killing or hacking to injure innocent civilians, and how can such obvious violence be said to be “peaceful protests” or demonstrations?
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Moreover, the riots in Tibet are caused by a few “Tibetan independence” protestors with an aim to capitalize on Beijing’s summer Olympic Games to divide China and seek Tibetan independence at the very instigation of the Dalai Lama. Even the Western media have not made any denial of this evidence.

Paula J. Dobriansky, however, alleged in her article that “underlying these tragic events is China’s long-standing repression of religious, cultural and other freedoms for the Tibetan people.” She is simply telling a bare-faced lie!

Any people who have been to Tibet or those with the slightest interest in Tibet know that the Lamaseries and Buddhist temples across the region are resounding with the chanting of Buddhist sutras and the freedom of Tibetans in their religious belief has never been subjected to government interference. The Chinese central government has, on a couple of occasions, made huge appropriations for overhauling or repairing temples and Lamaseries, preserving cultural relics, or sifting classic Tibetan works; these are facts there for all to see. Why does Dobriansky turn a blind eye to all these things? And is this the little, pitiful Tibet-related knowledge the so-called coordinator possesses on Tibetan issues?

Both Dobriansky and the U.S. Congress have honored the Dalai Lama as a “man of peace” who has advocated a “middle way” that embraces “autonomy for Tibet” within China and “rejects seeking independence” and they even said he “has publicly come out strongly against the violence” and “indicated his support for holding the Olympic Games in Beijing.” A host of ironclad facts so far unveiled have long proven that the Dalai Lama is a man who never means what he says. He utters beautiful, high-sounding words before the scene on one hand and, on the other hand, he masterminds violence behind the scene. So, it is not inappropriate to depict him as the most hypocritical person in the world.

It was reported that Dobriansky attended the fifth “International Tibet Support Groups Conference” in Brussels in May 2007. It was at this conference that the “Tibet independence” organization adopted a strategic plan as well as the related plan of action to take the Olympic Games in Beijing as the main target of assaults in the coming 15 months, and the commander to organize such “Tibetan independence” activities sits right there inside of the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C..

Does the “special coordinator for Tibetan issues” who had been at that conference really not know any moves of the Dalai clique to sabotage the Beijing Olympic Games? She still cites that “he is supportive of the Olympic Games in Beijing”? Is this “coordinator” cheating herself or deceiving others?

Endnotes:
People’s Daily, April 23, 2008
[1] http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2008-04/23/content_8032052.htm; (original Chinese article)
[2] http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90780/91342/6397699.htm