Everyone knows that the media controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) serves only the party's leaders and is a propaganda tool for the party's headquarters. The media's purpose is to rally support for the powers that be and to trumpet the greatness of the state and party leaders at every opportunity. In China, what self-determination or the right to report objectively do the media have?
Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen (
Qian's sophistry conceals a key reality -- that Taiwanese reporters are free to say good things about China in this country's media. They can also trumpet the CCP's "virtuous government." In contrast, Chinese reporters who come to Taiwan only look for negative news about the country and distort whatever the people do as "longing for unification, with their hearts toward the motherland." Such ludicrous writing has opened the Taiwanese people's eyes to the Xinhua News Agency reporters' extraordinary capacity for distorting news events.
Exactly whatthe positive significance of such journalistic exchanges is very much open to question. It is even difficult to tell whether these exchanges are promoting mutual understanding or increasing the misunderstandings.
But what's most intolerable for the Taiwanese has got to be Beijing's treatment of this country as a local government -- revealing its ugly "one country, two systems" mentality and giving Taiwan no space whatsoever to negotiate. Because of the Beijing's leadership's illusions of superiority, they can ignore the true thoughts and feelings of the people of Taiwan and distort anything as they want according to their political ambitions. They can create a false image of the CCP as enjoying the Chinese people's support so as to deceive their own people.
Perhaps this is why some CCP members believe that Taiwan Beer could become a propaganda tool for pro-independence Taiwanese. That was why they forced the manufacturer to change the brand name before allowing the beer into the Chinese market. Beijing has never given a thought to the fact that Tsingdao beer has been selling in this country for years without government officials fearing that its name would be a propaganda tool or asking the manufacturer to change the name. From this recent example one can see Beijing's infantile, ridiculous and thuggish attitude.
Recently the Government Information Office decided to ban the China Central Television's (CCTV) live programming from being aired here. CCTV, which has been aired here for more than a decade, is the CCP's propaganda tool. The GIO took the step after China denied broadcast applications from several Taiwanese satellite channel stations.
The GIO was right to take action and protect this country's national interests. There is no reason to put up with Beijing's unreasonable behavior. Whenever there is no equality, the government should take tougher measures and let China know clearly that Taiwan isn't another Hong Kong, nor is it subject to Beijing's whims. Otherwise we may be fostering unrealistic delusions or fantasies on the other side of the Taiwan Strait.
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