It’s tough being a journalist in China
For a start you need to master the art of holding a microphone the right way round, especially when former Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing has called on you for a question. We shouldn’t be too hard on the beleaguered Chinese press, though – they are, after all, still unfamiliar with the concept of challenging the party line and the workings of journalistic equipment.
I imagine the editors pep talk encouraged this guy to ‘ask a tough question’, which our hero of free speech clearly interpreted as an order to make life as difficult as possible for himself. Nobody has any idea what his question was, but the answer would certainly have been one of the following:
1. “We strongly condemn this action that has hurt the feelings of all Chinese people”
2. “We steadfastly refute the allegation that Chinese leaders use hair-dying products. Obama is turning grey because he lacks leadership skills with Chinese characteristics.”
3. “Tibetans are the happiest people on Earth; liberated, educated, fed, and only occasionally beaten or shot for not obeying our orders”
4. “We are a peace-loving, tolerant people who never interfere in the internal affairs of other countries”
5. “Freedom of expression is enshrined in the Chinese constitution; dissidents are enshrined in the gulag”