| Daily Telegraph and China 08:29 - Apr 2 with 83 views | BringBackTheRedRoom |
Coronavirus means that we must now treat China like a hostile state
When the Government says that there needs to be a “reckoning” with China once the coronavirus emergency is over, its focus must be much broader than simply examining Beijing’s culpability in creating the pandemic.
The deliberate lack of transparency and cooperation that has characterised the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) response to the outbreak since the virus was first identified in Wuhan constitutes nothing less than a fundamental breach of trust between China and the rest of the world.
Despite Beijing’s attempts to cover up the true scale of the outbreak in China, British scientists are now warning Downing Street that the CCP has probably downplayed the number of cases by a factor of 15 to 40.
To make matters worse, Beijing has compounded its reprehensible behaviour by launching a disinformation campaign that seeks to portray China as the victim, rather than being the instigator of a global health crisis that has so far claimed almost 40,000 lives worldwide, and caused the greatest slump in global economic activity since the Second World War.
China’s attempts to blame the initial outbreak on an American military delegation that visited Wuhan last October have received short shrift in Washington, while British ministers have privately expressed their disgust at Beijing’s attempts to exploit the pandemic for economic gain with what they call “predatory” offers of help for affected countries.
Nor, as Beijing declares “victory” in its own campaign against the virus, is there any evidence that China has learnt its lesson. The reopening of live animal markets, where bats and scorpions are offered as traditional medicine, suggests China’s rulers have no intention of fulfilling their pledge to close the markets, which is where the virus is believed to have originated.
At every level, the CCP’s response to the coronavirus challenge has been contemptible, to the extent that, once the present crisis is over, there needs to be a radical rethink in Britain and other Western countries about our future dealings with Beijing.
Certainly, the idea that it will be business as normal so far as our trade ties with Beijing are concerned will be totally unacceptable to the vast majority of the British public.
There is a deepening resentment among ordinary citizens that China is ultimately to blame for the disruption the pandemic has inflicted on their daily lives, for causing the greatest assault on their personal freedoms in peacetime, for millions of workers losing their jobs or taking pay cuts, and for victims of the coronavirus ending their days alone and isolated from their loved ones.
China’s appalling conduct from the outset has led ministers to warn that the country risks becoming a “pariah state”, and this assessment must be at the heart of how Britain shapes its future relationship with the CCP.
The first, and most obvious, casualty of Britain adopting a more robust approach to Beijing should be Boris Johnson’s questionable decision to allow the Chinese telecoms giant Huawei access to Britain’s new 5G telecoms network. Even if Mr Johnson persists with the flawed assessment that Huawei can maintain its involvement without jeopardising national security, the Prime Minister will face renewed Cabinet pressure to terminate the arrangement.
Serious consideration must also be given to Britain’s broader trade links with China, which are currently worth around $25 billion a year. For too long British politicians and business leaders have kow-towed to Beijing and ignored the CCP’s repressive rule in the hope of landing lucrative contracts. This has resulted in important sectors of the British economy being out-sourced to the Chinese, from the manufacture of car components to vital pharmaceuticals.
Champions of these profitable trade ties, such as former chancellor George Osborne, who once enthused about a “golden era” in Sino-British relations, worked on the assumption that Beijing did not pose a threat to British interests.
The naivety of this approach has been exposed through China’s response to the coronavirus, with the CCP at one point threatening to withhold the export of key medicinal supplies. If China can no longer be trusted to honour existing trading arrangements in our hour of need, then industry leaders must give serious consideration to relocating key manufacturing back to Britain.
The Government’s forthcoming integrated defence and security review is another area where we need to take heed of the threat China poses to our well-being. The last defence review, in 2015, worked on the assumption that Russia was the state that posed the biggest threat to our security.
This assessment will need to be reviewed in the light of the immense damage Beijing has inflicted on the nation’s economy and health. In future, we will need to focus our attention as much on the inner workings of the CCP’s Central Politburo as we do the Kremlin.
The era when gullible politicians in the West could give China’s motives the benefit of the doubt is well and truly over.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/04/01/coronavirus-means-must-now-treat | |
| ‘Where there is harmony, may we bring discord. Where there is truth, may we bring error. Where there is faith, may we bring doubt. And where there is hope, may we bring despair’ |
| |  |
| Daily Telegraph and China on 08:32 - Apr 2 with 81 views | BringBackTheRedRoom |
A British Newspaper Has Given Chinese Coronavirus Propaganda A Direct Line To The UK
During the pandemic, the Daily Telegraph continues to sell space to China to push the party line.
When medical authorities in China claimed they’d cured more than 750 cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, using pseudoscience, one major British newspaper made sure there was space for China's party line on the story.
“Traditional Chinese medicine ‘helps fight coronavirus,'” declared the March 3 headline, in the online version of the Daily Telegraph. Without any evidence, the article claimed that the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine had tested an unidentified “prescription” on 804 patients, and that "by the end of 14 February," it had proven "effective in 94 per cent of the cases."
The article was published in a section of the Telegraph’s site called People’s Daily Online, a self-contained “advertisement feature” promising "all the latest stories about contemporary China’s dynamic development, diverse culture and world-leading infrastructure," complete with a home page and sections for news, opinion, business, and sports, among other topics. But beyond a boilerplate disclaimer waiving responsibility, nowhere does the site disclose any information about its sponsor.
People’s Daily is the official newspaper and mouthpiece of the Communist Party of China. Its "advertisement feature" on the Telegraph's site is part of a global propaganda campaign that positions the country as a leader in fighting the novel coronavirus pandemic, which has now killed more than 44,000 people worldwide.
The Telegraph is one of dozens of newspapers around the world that have struck deals with China in recent years. According to one report, the paper received £750,000 annually to carry the material from the People's Daily, a relationship which, prior to the coronavirus pandemic, had led to accusations that the British newspaper had softened its editorial line on Beijing.
The Daily Telegraph and the People's Daily did not return requests for comment. At least 16 articles were taken down Wednesday, after BuzzFeed News began asking questions.
Online archives show that the People's Daily Online began running stories about the coronavirus in February, shortly after China's President Xi Jinping “called upon Chinese media to publish stories casting [China's response] in a positive light,” as Axios reported. Since then, it has run more than 50 paid articles in the Telegraph praising the Chinese government and attacking its foreign adversaries. Unlike the Telegraph’s own coronavirus coverage, much of which is hidden behind a paywall, all of the People's Daily Online content is free to read.
Sarah Cook, a senior research analyst at Freedom House and expert on Chinese media, said that exploiting foreign media to reach a mainstream audience is a common strategy of China's propaganda apparatus, known as “borrowing a boat to reach the sea."
“The form that has gotten the most attention are the print versions of the China Daily's China Watch supplement in major newspapers in the US, UK, and elsewhere,” Cook told BuzzFeed News. “But many of these supplements also have online versions, which are arguably more insidious because they are even harder for readers to distinguish from the host outlet's reporting.”
In one article, “Groundless attack on coronavirus fight belies US failures,” a Feb. 7 opinion piece attributed to Li Da (the name of one of the Chinese Communist Party's founding members, who died in 1966), the People's Daily Online denounced “American media and politicians,” which “are in no position to criticise how China has set about combating the epidemic for the good of all people,” and whose “ridiculous remarks reflect the evil intentions that show a lack of morality.”
The article criticized an unidentified New York Times story that reportedly predicted significant losses to China’s economy. According to the People's Daily Online, that story “slandered the Chinese government” because “any practice that points fingers at other countries’ efforts goes against the future of mankind and indulges the virus."
The article also cited a since-updated Jan. 28 BuzzFeed News story that originally said people should worry more about the flu. Leveraging that story to downplay the severity of the virus, the People's Daily Online urged its US critics to "please look at the American people suffering from the influenza before you create any nonsense,” adding, “It is hoped that you still have at least something of a conscience.”
Other recent articles from the People's Daily Online include “‘Onlookers’ in coronavirus epidemic should stop their gloating," "Pompeo’s recent remarks about China another despicable lie," and "Coronavirus outbreak is not an opportunity to score points against China," all self-explanatory.
The People's Daily Online doesn't hide its association with the Chinese government. Its site describes itself as a “propaganda and reporting” outlet that takes “important instructions” from “the leading comrades of Xi Jinping ’s Central Committee."
While historically known for its "mastery of bore-you-to-tears bureaucratese," according to Foreign Policy magazine, the People's Daily Online's recent articles more closely resemble that of its English-language subsidiary Global Times, whose “saber-rattling” editorials have earned it the nickname “China’s Fox News” from Chinese political journalist Michael Anti.
According to Cook, this new, more aggressive style of rhetoric started leaking into the public discourse last year, with Chinese media and state officials adopting “Russia-style tactics” to achieve their goals.
“It's definitely something that has taken off steam amid the coronavirus outbreak,” Cook said. However, “for a British audience, this type of more aggressive rhetoric seems counterproductive. I don't see it really convincing people.”
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/deansterlingjones/coronavirus-british-newsp
 | |
| ‘Where there is harmony, may we bring discord. Where there is truth, may we bring error. Where there is faith, may we bring doubt. And where there is hope, may we bring despair’ |
| |
| Daily Telegraph and China on 10:09 - Apr 2 with 73 views | spudgun |
Yep, two interesting articles, and a lot to digest.
I was aware of the Chinese placement of propaganda, which isn`t really surprising when you think of the similar influence exerted through certain media outlets - especially `The Mail` - by (mainly) right-wing think tanks.
Soon we may not be able trust what we read...  | | | |
| Daily Telegraph and China on 10:10 - Apr 2 with 73 views | spell_chekker |
I doubt very much that the UK government will upset a country as (economically) powerful as China. | |
| |
| |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
