China vs Western Media

This article is orginally posted on merlin's blog, please refer to the link at the left.

If you go to news.google.co.uk and put China into the searchbar, you'll get a pile of news headlines harvested by google from major western media websites:

China, again
China rebukes Iran over Holocaust remarks
China a spectator at WTO talks
Patients jump as China hospital blaze kills dozens
China plays the strong, silent type at WTO
China reports sixth human case of bird flu, new poultry outbreak
India, China to speed up talks on border dispute
Free trade deals with trading partners from next year: China
China outraged over 'Geisha'

Apparently there is hardly a single positive report, and it is always the case since I set this search page as my IE homepage. This anti-Chinese attitude seems to be an epidemic among the western media, and it has planted so much confusion and even abhorrence against China in people's minds here.

Tell me, what is china like in your mind? Is it a rapidly growing economy? A miserable place full of horrible disease like SARS and Birdflu? An aggressive country that keep poking around its neighbour country? Or a dictatorial socialistic power that have the potential of turning into Naziism?

Funny thing is, despite of the non-positive attitude held by the western media, Chinese government always makes its propaganda too much friendly. 'Just like heaven' used to be the general recognition of the western world, while 'more advanced countries with much happier citizens' is what most of the Chinese people think about the society here nowadays. With such a fantasy, I came all the way across the continent. And I'm pretty sure you all know disappointed I have been since then.

Anyway the point I want to make here is that we shouldn't get influenced by what the media says if it is not balanced. China is expanding its influence. It is a developing countury for god's sake. China has blemishes. It is still not well developed after all. China wants to have a bite of the global economy rather than begging for the help from the western world; China wants to defend itself from the western disturbance because it has its own value and its own culture; China wants to play a quiet international role, because it is not a power pursuer like US. Theories like Chinese threat are absolutely ridiculous and the biased western media should be blamed for such a huge misunderstanding.

China is not a monster. Chinese people are nice and easy and have no intention to control others. They concentrate on their own business and work hard just for a better life.