The Global Times chief editor Hu Tinjin said in his speech that Global Times has increased information exchange between China and the rest of the world, so that each side can see the complexity and diversity of the other side and hence decrease mutual misunderstanding.
When I read the speeches of these two gentlemen, I had to laugh inside. This is not because I harbor any dark thoughts, but because of the result of my long-term attention paid to Global Times as a Chinese media worker.
What kind of "real world" did Global Times present to the Chinese readers over the past 16 years? In my view, it is a false world in which China is still being besieged by hostile western powers like old times. In this old world, China is being harassed by the western capitalist countries who are still bent on destroying China.
The old western enemies led by the United States are still hostile to China. Japan, India and the South East Asian countries are all demonizing China. Zhang goes on to discuss how the Global Times omits background information that would paint a more nuanced picture of global issues, and how its positioning may have a ready audience within the country but will most likely be less than convincing for international readers.
Nationalist personality and Unhappy China co-author Wang Xiaodong recently posted a conversation he had with a Global Times reporter about the Oasis concert cancellation affair. From his blog: Global Times female reporter: Mr. Wang, have you heard about what happened with Oasis?
Me: No, I haven't!
Reporter: Here's what happened. The band Oasis had a concert in Beijing canceled, and according to the organizer, the reason for the cancellation was that the company had encountered some financial problems, and that it had nothing to do with Oasis itself.
But the western media all hyped up the idea that it was because Oasis had once taken part in a huge "Tibetan Independence" benefit world tour. Me: So was there really a "Tibetan Independence" benefit? Reporter: We confirmed that there was. We've interviewed a lot of experts and scholars who all said that we're a great country, and caring so much about a little thing like this shows a lack of aplomb.
But the attitude I found online was different: netizens largely supported cancelling the Oasis concert. Some of them said that even though they liked Oasis's songs, since the band had supported "Tibetan Independence," they were willing to sacrifice their own pleasure and felt that we ought to firmly boycott the band. I'm a little mistrusting of those experts and scholars, so I thought I'd ask you for your opinion.
Me: Those experts and scholars are all just bookworms. We've held back in years past. The furthest we've gone is to voice an objection, but when we've asked for an apology, they haven't given one. Today, it is time for us to tell the world that we have our own bottom line, our own set of rules, our own dignity. We need to tell this to the world: if anyone crosses that line, or violates our rules or our dignity, then forget about making money in China.
You can't have it both ways. You support the terrorists who are our enemies while you're outside China's borders, and you want to make money by claiming the moral high ground. So make your money, but don't expect to make it in China. We do not yet have the power to punish you all over the globe, but we can at least make it so that you don't make money in China.
We don't have much money, so don't think of coming here to take it. As far as we're concerned, with one more or one less of you over here, we'll be just as happy, and enjoy ourselves just as much. There's an old Chinese saying: even without a rotten egg like you, we'll be able to make our cake all the same.
Reporter: So your opinion is that they must first apologize, and then they can come to China? Me: No! I'm extremely disgusted by the "culture of apology" that China has these days, where it's "sorry, sorry" all over the place.
If someone does something bad, does an apology make everything all better? Unless the apology is especially sincere, I suggest that China refuse to accept all apologies! Besides, those foreign clowns are willing to do anything for money. Their apologies aren't worth a single cent, so we don't need to accept them. I hope that you can include my opposition to the "culture of apology" in your article.