Portions of Barack Obama’s Inauguration speech yesterday were censored by the state controlled Chinese Media. Lines of the address where the President spoke of how Americans “faced down communism and fascism” and the lines, “To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.” were replaced with quick cutaways to anchors on televised versions of the event or simply omitted from print translations.
It’s difficult to understand the Chinese authorities’ insistence on tight control over information without taking into account the troubled history of the nation. Internal strife, uprisings, rebellions and civil wars have been so frequent in the the two millenia of the Middle Kingdom that the very definition of power in the minds of many Chinese involves the strictest safeguards against attitudes that might lead to civil unrest. When taking into account the vast current economic inequities within Chinese society and the ubiquitous armed uprisings, hundreds of which take place every year across the country, often unreported, it’s easy to see why Beijing keeps such a tight hold on information. But that doesn’t make it right.
What China has managed to do however is bring more people out of poverty more quickly than any other nation in the history of the world. The damage to both the environment and human rights in the country has been severe, but there is no question that there are enormous benefits to the People’s Republic’s policies as well, in the form of hundreds of millions living better lives. In essence, China is complicated. What else would you expect from a country of 1.2 Billion people?
You can takepart in learning more about China by checking out China Institute, a cultural center in New York City devoted to fostering better understanding of the most populous country on earth.
