Foundinchina.com

Yahoo News reports on the latest diatribe from Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang:

Asked about a possible meeting between Obama and the Dalai Lama, Qin said the U.S. president should recognize the exiled Tibetan leader — a Nobel Peace Prize winner — as the former head of a slave state.

“In 1959, China abolished the feudal serf system just as President Lincoln freed the black slaves. So we hope President Obama more than any other foreign state leader can have a better understanding on China’s position on opposing the Dalai’s splitting activities,” Qin told reporters at a regularly scheduled news conference.

http://chinadigitaltimes.net/

Qin’s analogy is nonsensical on so many levels, but if I may ask Qin one question that puts it in its appropriate place: when can we expect to see a free speaking, native Tibetan elevated to the position of PRC president via a fair, representative, and democratic electoral process?

Silence.

Many more memorable Qin Gangisms are available to those with free internet access. For those in China, you’ll have to make do with the real thing.

An assertive China is one thing; a global playground bully is quite another. The playground comment is entirely appropriate because China’s leaders are behaving like children again:

BEIJING (AFP) – China warned Paris Thursday not to make more “errors” on Tibet amid news the Dalai Lama may be made an honorary citizen of the French capital, just as frosty ties between the two nations had improved.

“We urge the Paris side to stop doing things that interfere in China’s internal affairs and make no further errors on the Tibet-related issue.”

“If the Paris city government does make this award, it will definitely meet once again with the Chinese people’s firm opposition,” foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu told reporters.

The characterisation of the proposed Honour as an “error” is a typically aggressive Chinese response to anything that isn’t consistent with the CCP’s love affair with obedience: do what we say, or get punished.   

Read more here.

The line ‘interference in China’s internal affairs’ has been tiresome for years. It’s also full of crap. Beijing simply doesn’t like the fact that His Holiness is regarded throughout the world (with one petulant exception) as a decent peace-loving man. Honours for such individuals are entirely appropriate and are not, I would boldly suggest, matters for China to ‘interfere’ with.

Unfortunately, irresponsible despots have no qualms about using economic blackmail to get their petty way on this and other issues. Appeasing China by backing down, as South Africa did recently, is going to lead the world to a bad place. China must grow up to the fact that not everyone shares their world view. 

I sincerely hope that the French government and people stand up to China on this, and that other world leaders offer their support for that position. Not to do so will only embolden China’s leaders to make increasing demands of the countries they do business with.

Give the Dalai Lama his honour, not to annoy China, but because you were going to do it anyway and because France feels that it is deserved. DO NOT BACK DOWN.

Update

While France ponders, the Dutch, it appears, are showing signs of courage.

She moved back to Lhasa, found a job at Tibetan Literature, a government-run journal, and began delving into the history and folklore of Tibet. In 2003, a publisher in Guangzhou put out her first book, “Notes on Tibet,” a collection of prose and short stories that quickly sold out. It was just before the second print run that the authorities took notice. They promptly banned the book, saying it contained “serious political mistakes.”

In their condemnation of the book, her employer, the Tibetan Literature Association, said she had glorified the Dalai Lama, harmed the solidarity of the nation and “exaggerated and beautified the positive function of religion in social life.” They demanded a confession of her errors. She refused, and found herself unemployed.

Since then Woeser has become a more vocal critic of the Chinese government’s Tibetan policy. And well she might, for unlike a billion of her countrymen, she’s seen the consequences for herself.

... except in China

...and here's why

Only the Chinese government could pull off something so grandiose. This is how they’re going to do it:

The Chinese government has been turned off this Saturday’s “Earth Hour” after officials realised the event falls on a newly created holiday to commemorate the ousting of the Dalai Lama from Tibet.

The United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, has urged people around the world to participate in Earth Hour, which he called the largest ever public show of concern about climate change.

Chinese journalists and student groups have been told to scale back their participation because images of cities and campuses turning dark do not fit the upbeat propaganda message that the authorities wanted to convey by declaring 28 March “Serf Liberation Day” in Tibet. 

Read more from the Guardian’s report here. Needless to say the comments quickly descended into a fenqing-fest that had nothing to do with saving the planet.

Anyway, congratulations to those CCP energy guzzlers; they care about Tibetans so much they’re even prepared to destroy the Earth in their honour. Wonderful people.

Hat tip to Richard to pointing me in the direction of the propaganda picture on the right (via this blog).