I really like this exceedingly long, 9000-word post by ‘Huangfu Ping’. It convincingly sets out a case against rising Chinese ultranationalism and policy towards Tibet – and with Huangfu Ping’s historical relevance, the article could actually be groundbreaking as it signals the Government’s new approach. If so, I am optimistic!
Background on Huangfu Ping:
Huangfu Ping (皇甫平) is the penname of Zhou Ruijin (周瑞金), a former deputy editor-in-Chief of Shanghai’s Liberation Daily《解放日报》and the People’s Daily《人民日报》; best known for a series of articles in support of Deng Xiaoping (邓小平)’s tour of Guangdong Province promoting his economic policies and reforms in the early 1990s.
Read the full article:
Here are a couple of selected quotes…
On the Chinese boycotts of French goods:
“I understand the young Chinese people who gather to protest outside the Carrefour hypermarts in certain cities, but I do not approve of the boycott action. China is a member of WTO, and calling for boycotts of foreign products and producers is not a smart move. We must be wary about the influence of narrow-minded nationalism and populism on these young people. The government must also take steps to prevent the deterioration of the investment climate in China.”
“When the paralympic torch bearer Jin Jing used her body to defend the Olympic torch, we can shower her with high praises; when she opposed the Carrefour boycott, we should not treat her as an enemy.”
On media freedom:
“The government should quickly withdraw from the role of omnipotent government”
“We should continue to lift the transparent of internal Chinese information and respect the right of the Chinese people to be informed. In suddenly breaking incidents or mass incidents that involve ethnic and religious issues, the information should be released honestly, sincerely and openly in a timely manner. The sky will not fall down as a result. We cannot rely on the system of media control within China to work for overseas propagandizing. We need to do media public relations in an environment of multi-culturalism, including media management during public relations crises.”
On the Olympics:
“We should be able to recognize that a successful Olympics depends not just on economic and sports power, but more importantly on political, cultural, social and people quality power. It is a delusion to be able to dominate the world through economic progress and sports gold medals alone.”
On Tibet - including working with the Dalai Lama:
“The Chinese government stated [...] it intends to meet with the private envoy of the Dalai Lama. The classical approach in the theory of social movements is to win over the moderates and isolate the radicals. This was how the United States deal with Al Fatah and Hamas, and this is worth our trying. We can urge the Dalai Lama to use his own influence to restrain the violent activities of the Tibetan radicals, which befits his status as a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. The Dalai Lama should also do things (including towards Tibetans) that are helpful to the peaceful rise of China.”
“We must also recognize that the injection of wealth into Tibet is not equivalent to the injection of happiness. [...] We must pay attention to the spiritual needs of the Tibetan people and their Tibetan Buddhist religion, we must respect their culture and customs…”
“The Emperor Qianlong took remedial lessons in the Tibetan language for the purpose of meeting with the 6th Panchen Lama. I suggest that the government should raise its own stance higher.”
“Emperor Kangxi: “When a emperor reigns, there is a natural logic that does not require taking risks. The way to defend the borders of the kingdom is to be benevolent and make sure that the people are happy. When the people are content they love their nation and the borders will be secured.”“
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