Peoples Republic of China - Case Study Example

Media in China is dominated by several run papers like China Daily.com, People’s Daily, Xinhuanet and a magazine Beijing Review. The last few days have been most of the papers devoting space to the aftermath of the recent earthquake. It discusses of the railway bridge reinforced near the quake lake, or visit by the Chinese Premier to the quake hit areas. Sports also features as important news in all the papers. Beijing Review also focuses on natural disasters affecting the country as well as the Olympics. The websites that have been visited have been listed separately under the Bibliography. The most controversial issues that were highlighted in most papers were the comments on the disaster and its after math and the intervention of Dalai Lama in the issue. These two issues have been discussed on how the state-run media portrays these issues in China. One of the issues that have always been a matter of grave concern for the People’s Republic of China is the incorporation and maintenance of Tibet as its territory. The modern history of Tibet dates back to the early 1600s. That is when the Dalai Lama regarded as the highest figure in present-day Buddhism and the spiritual leaders of the region assumed administrative powers and established control over the Tibetan people. The Dalai Lama continued to control the region until the Communist Revolution of 1951, however Beijing’s stance as cited by BBC (2008) from People’s Daily is as follows: For more than 700 years, the central government of China has continuously exercised sovereignty over Tibet, and Tibet has never been an independent state. No government of any country in the world has ever recognized Tibet as an independent state. While the Chinese claim that Tibet was a Chinese province for eight centuries and that the Dalai Lama has forfeited his spiritual and temporal leadership because he is a separatist, the Tibetans in exile call Tibet a colony of China (Evans, 2002). Further, Beijing claims that the prior to the Communist Revolution, Tibet existed as a feudal serfdom and its administrators and serf-owners meted out savage punishments to the serfs. The Dalai Lama, then left Lhasa, regarded as the erstwhile capital of the Tibetan region and fled to India where he was given refuge. The Tibetans on the other hand claim that the Chinese Militia wiped out close to half of the population between 1952 and 1958 in an effort to establish sovereign control over Tibet and claim it as a part of China. In the recent uprising that took the world by storm, the Chinese have accused the Tibetans of using the Beijing 2008 Olympics as a platform to voice their resentment. While it is not completely untrue that this is indeed the case, the atrocities committed by the Chinese Government to crush the uprising remain a matter of international concern and debate. The uprising has caught the attention of the Global Media. However, the reports carried by the Western Media have been criticized by the Chinese living in China as well as outside as being biased. “Pictures from some media websites, including CNN and BBC, with untrue reports about the riots have been posted on chatrooms, drawing criticism.” – Beijingreview.com BeijingReview.com (2008) claims that the Western News agencies show an inaccurate picture of the events taking place. In fact, the Chinese government has gone as far as saying that this is a failed attempt to mar China’s efforts towards hosting the Beijing 2008 Olympics and that the global attention on the Tibetan issue is unnecessary and uncalled for. A Chinese daily says that: “Sabotaging Olympic Games, by agitating violence and fanning Tibet secession from China, wont be tolerated by the Chinese government, and would be firmly opposed by every Chinese.” – Chinadaily.com (2008c). Reuters (2008) from Tokyo reports that President Hu has urged the Dalai Lama supporters to show ‘sincerity’ and blamed them for the unrest across Tibet and for trying to wreck the Beijing Olympics. During the interview with this paper, President Hu expressed that Dalai Lama had been ‘conscientious and serious’ and the two sides had agreed to continue contacts. At the same time, the Official Chinese media accuses the Dalai Lama of “spewing lies” (China Daily, 2008d). There is a fair amount of mistrust in the air whenever officials of the Chinese Government or even the nationalist Chinese people talk about Dalai Lama and his statements. According to Dalai Lama though, himself a Nobel Peace Prize awardee, the Tibetans are not using the Beijing 2008 Olympics as a vehicle to get their message across. In fact, he claims that he fully supports the Beijing 2008 Olympics hosted by China and says that affecting the Olympics is not a part of the agenda of the Tibetan people – a claim obviously dismissed by the Chinese Government and media. The Chinese papers give another twist to the issue by saying that while the Chinese government and the people passed through crucial moments to save the earthquake victims, the British politicians not only invited Dalai lama to Britain last week but also said that the British House of Commons held a hearing on the so-called issue of Chinas human rights and invited the Dalai Lama to address the hearing (China Daily, 2008e). The China Daily highlights that the earthquake victims include Tibetans and Qiangs who have been taken care of by the Chinese government. This article highlights how Chinese government respects human rights and treats all equally irrespective of their citizenship. In the process, they magnify that in stark contrast, the Dalai Lama traveled across Europe, speaking out without any sense of responsibility. It is a direct attack on the functioning of Dalai Lama. It gives an impression that The Chinese Government is trying to tarnish the image of Dalai Lama before the people of China while safeguarding its own image. People’s Daily has published on the same issue on similar lines after three days (China Daily, 2008f). Responding to an arranged meeting between the Dalai Lama and the British Prime Minister, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang in a press release: "This interferers in Chinas internal affairs, and gravely hurts Chinese peoples feelings as well, " – Chinadaily.com (2008b). Reacting to a comment from Dalai Lama that he feels “helpless”, one of the local Chinese Media report goes on record saying: “Why did he acknowledge that he felt helpless? The real reason is that he has been trying to return to feudal serfdom, a social system that has long been discarded by the times even at the expense of splitting China. Such a move goes totally against the historical trend.” – Chinadaily. Having said that there have been numerous protests all over the world by the Tibetan people, the Olympic torch was carried among the world’s major cities amidst tight security blankets and yet there were protests. As a result certain paths had to be curtailed and in certain cities the torch could not be carried for as long as it was originally planned. French (2008) of International Herald Tribune from Asia Pacific says that even while the call for Chinese-Tibetan talks continues to mount, Dalai Lama has accused the Chinese state-run media of trying to "sow the seeds of racial tension". He has nevertheless urged the Chinese government to have meaningful dialogue to reduce tensions. The fact that human right abuses have taken place in Tibet remains undisputed. Even to negotiate, China wants that Dalai Lama should abandon advocating Tibetan independence and all activities aimed at “splitting the motherland” should be stopped. While Dalai Lama has never advocated that he wants Tibetan independence, the Chinese Dailies and the state run media keep harping on this point alone. Dalai Lama has never expressed that he has a desire to see Tibet break free of Chinese Sovereignty. Another issue of immense importance is the massive earthquake that hammered the Sichuan Province on May 12, 2008, causing heavy casualty and severe loss and damage to China’s economy. Nevertheless, the claims made by the Chinese government and its papers differ from what the media elsewhere reports. People’s Daily Online (May 26, 2008) reports that the earthquake has caused some economic uncertainties but it is not expected to change the fundamental direction of China’s economy. This is because the destructive effects are regional and it will not have any effect on the national economic growth as a whole. At the same time various other papers report that to impress the investors, the Chinese government has mounted a carefully managed campaign involving top leaders to demonstrate its concern for the welfare of survivors (Chan of World Socialist Web Site, 2008). The fears of the government are further evident in the report by Chan which says the Chinese government is clearly worried about the potential for political unrest and Beijing is also concerned about the broader economic and political impact (WSWC, May 23, 2008). Another area where the concern of the government has been evident is the collapse of the school buildings killings hundreds of children of all ages. Out of 216,000 structures that collapsed in the earthquake, 6,898 were school buildings (Lantier, WSWC, 2008). The police made attempts to quell a rising wave of public anger over schools that collapsed and killed thousands of children (IHT, June 2008). The protests by parents of children who died in the earthquake spiraled into the biggest political challenge to the government in the aftermath of the earthquake (Wong, 2008). While the state-run China Daily (June 07, 2008) reports that children are back to school in quake hit areas, no coverage has been given to the protests by parents whose children have been victims of the earthquake. This has been widely covered by the IHT and the Washington Post. The government is making attempts to control the post-quake messages and towards this end they even barred the reporters from destroyed classrooms, reports IHT (June 2008). This demonstrates the extent to which the Chinese authorities are unnerved. The collapse of the school buildings has more to do with poor design, a lack of steel reinforcement bars in the concrete and the use of other substandard building materials (Washington Post, 2008). While in the first few days following the disaster, the government had allowed freedom to both domestic and international reporters, the government has begun clamping down on press liberties as hard questions have continued about corruption and shoddy construction of schools. China Daily (May, 2008) carries a report that ‘severe punishment’ would be meted out to those found guilty of school building collapse for use of substandard constructions materials but according to the Deputy Director of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ), till then the investigations had not yielded any negative results. This amply demonstrates the political fear and tension in the Chinese authorities. According to IHT (June 2008a), China is seeking to present an image of determined patriotic stability in the face of the disaster. Out of fear of political tensions, they have detained a person who runs a Web site critical of the ruling Communist Partys restrictions on political rights. He has been detailed for offering support and publicity for the families of the children who perished and other victims. All those trying to offer non-political help have been expelled from the sites because the police fears this could stir tensions. Supporters of the government have been trying to dissuade the parents from protests as this leads to anti-government sentiments among foreigners being projected through the media. When a prominent writer put up a Web post telling parents not to protest, it was soon denounced by bloggers (Wong, 2008). A report by Reuters (2008) says Beijing has vowed unprecedented media freedom when it hosts the Olympic Games in August, but foreign reporters who stray far from the capital or cover politically sensitive topics continue to find their work hindered. According to Wong (2008), the Chinese journalists said the central government has ordered Chinese news organizations to stop reporting on the school collapses. After the government received a series of complaints from foreign journalists that they were being barred from free reporting, the state-controlled China Daily quoted government officials as saying that journalists would have unrestricted access to the earthquake zone. The main-stream media in China is state controlled and the Chinese journalists run the risk from being fired to imprisonment. There are even reports suggesting that the reporters were asked to focus on heroes especially if they were from the government or the ruling party and to stay away from sensitive issues like school collapse. After the liberties have been taken away the journalists have to register with the township government, despite press credentials issued by the provincial foreign affairs office (Reuters, 2008a). Parents from the towns where the schools collapsed have stated that they had no local media coverage on the issue. The reason why China has been trying to control adverse publicity in the foreign media is that this could affect the visitors to the Beijing Olympics in August 2008. Various unnerving incidents for the past few months have shaken the government. The violent unrest on the Tibet issue, the anti-Chinese protests on the international leg of the Olympic torch relay and now the huge earthquake in Sichuan have made the government cautious in their approach, says Blanchard (2008). Despite public messages that Beijing is looking forward to the visitors for the Olympics, there are reports that they have tightened control on visas but they claim this is normal for any Olympic host city and to ensure security. Thus it has been found that in both the issues discussed here, China has a different stand against what is highlighted by media elsewhere. In the case of the earthquake, all their moves are politically motivated. They are beefing up security measures to safeguard their image in the foreign media. They claim that punitive actions would be taken if it is established that school collapse was due to sub standard construction materials but no efforts have been shown towards the issue. The state run media has not covered the plight of the parents of the children who dies in the school collapse. All the details of the schools were found only from the media other than the Chinese media. Any one who tries to project an adverse image in the media is arrested and barred from his work. A lot of importance is given to the government efforts in rehabilitation of the earthquake victims but it appears to be more of publicity of the work that is being undertaken by the government. The government is trying to project an image of benevolence before its people and that they have concern for human rights. In the case of the Tibet issue, they have been blaming the West again and specifically the British for inviting Dalai Lama to discuss the issue at the time when attention on rehabilitation of the quake victims was deemed necessary by them. The Chinese papers try to project that the West is against the emerging nations and their prosperity. References: BBC News (2008). The Tibet issue. Available from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7410745.stm [accseed 05 June 2008] Beijing Revciew.com (2008). Dialogue: Media Coverage on Tibet. Available from: http://www.bjreview.com.cn/special/txt/2008-03/22/content_107054.htm [accessed 06 June 2008] Blanchard, B. (2008). China says storm of bad publicity may hurt Olympic turnout. Available from: http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-Olympics/idUSPEK16226220080528?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0 [accessed 13 June 2008] Chan, J. (2008). Chinese earthquake threatens wider economic dislocation. World Socialist Web Site. Available from: http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/may2008/chin-m26.shtml [accessed 13 June 2008] China Daily (2008b). China opposes British PMs meeting with Dalai Lama. Available from: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-05/24/content_6709682.htm [accessed 05 June 2008] China Daily (2008d). Commentary: Dalai Lama is spewing lies. Available from: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-04/30/content_6655137.htm [accessed 04 June 2008] China Daily (2008e). Human rights hoax from lord of serfdom. Available from: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2008-06/04/content_6734064.htm [accessed 07 June 2008] China Daily (2008f). Groundless accusation. Available from: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2008-06/07/content_6744105.htm [accessed 07 June 2008] China Daily (May, 2008). China probes schools, fights quake lakes. Available from: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-05/30/content_6721948.htm [accessed 13 June 2008] China Daily (June, 2008). Kids back to school in quake-hit Wenxian. Available from: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-06/07/content_6744586.htm. [accessed 13 June 2008] French, H. W. (2008). Chinese view of Dalai Lama bodes ill for its Tibet policy. International Herald Tribune. Available from: http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/29/asia/dalai.php [accessed 05 June 2008] IHT (June, 2008). Chinese security on alert for unrest at destroyed schools on one-month anniversary of quake. Available from: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/06/12/asia/AS-GEN-China-Earthquake.php [accessed 13 June 2008] IHT (June, 2008a). Quake parents mourn one mounth on. Available from: http://www.iht.com/articles/reuters/2008/06/12/asia/OUKWD-UK-QUAKE.php [accessed 13 June 2008] Lantier, A. (2008). China quake rescue operations face rising toll, strained public services. World Socialist Web Site. Available from: http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/may2008/chin-m17.shtml [accessed 13 June 2008] Peoples Daily Online (May 26, 20908). Earthquake not to affect the fundamentals of Chinas economy. Available from: http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90780/91344/6418413.html [accessed 13 June 2008] Reuters (2008). Chinas Hu tells Dalai Lama to show "sincerity". Available from: http://www.reuters.com/article/reutersComService_2_MOLT/idUST16423420080507 [accessed 06 June 2008] Reuters (2008a). China tightens noose on earthquake coverage. Available from: http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-China/idUSPEK26253720080607?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0 [accessed 13 June 2008] Washington Post (2008). Hundreds of parents of Chinese earthquake. Available from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/NewsSearch?st=China+earthquake+2008&fn=&sfn=&sa=np&cp=2&hl=false&sb=-1&sd=&ed=&blt=&sdt= [accessed 13 June 2008] Wong, E. (2008). Chinese parents call off quake memorial after official warning. Available from: http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/13/asia/13quake.php [accessed 13 June 2008] WSWC (May 23, 2008). Chinese leaders respond to anger over shoddy buildings and lack of help. Available from: http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/may2008/chin-m23.shtml [accessed 13 June 2008] Websites visited http://www.bjreview.com.cn/nation/node_10083_2.htm http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90882/6424474.html http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/ http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2008-06/07/content_6744200.htm http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/sports/2008-06/06/content_6742174.htm http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-06/06/content_6743867.htm http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-06/06/content_6743750.htm http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-06/06/content_6742849.htm http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/sports/2008-06/05/content_6737961.htm Read More