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送交者: omnipotent 于 2005-3-16, 19:30:41:

回答: 薛勇wrote an article in today's New York Times 由 techie 于 2005-3-16, 17:26:41:

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guasca20 - 4:26 PM ET March 16, 2005 (#913 of 917)

Is the Empire Striking Back?

By YONG XUE

Has this "chinese intellectual" bother to ask the people of Taiwan what do they want to do?

It sounds to me more of the timeless "we chinese from comunist china are the masters of all the chinese people of the wolrd" grabage I hear so often from my chinese friends (recent emigres).

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1120112 - 5:43 PM ET March 16, 2005 (#914 of 917)

Re: Is the empire striking back?
The author raises a curious argument, which basically suggests that America should not seek Japan as an ally because Japan has an image problem in that region.

It is true that Japan carries a big historical baggage in that region, but the recent anti-Japanese sentiment that has reached a fanatic pitch in China is largely the making of government controlled media. The argument that the association with Japan tarnishes America’s otherwise good image in China is ill conceived, if not disingenuous.

I personally don't believe that the China is going to use force any time soon because despite its tough talk, Chinese military is not up to the task and the Chinese leaders know that. More importantly, Chinese economy is so fragile that any war will send it spiraling down to collapse. But precisely because of the mounting problems at home, Chinese government needs scapegoats to hold together a country that is fast disintegrating.

Yes, Japan committed horrendous war crimes against China --over 70 year ago, but many Japanese politicians apologized repeatedly and over the years offered huge economic assistance when the west, led by America, was imposing economic sanctions against China--talking about earning "earning goodwill"! But the official media had been mum over that until recently Japan decided to phase out the assistance given China's powerful economic performance. Instead of saying thanks, the Chinese media used that as another excuse to whip up more animosity towards Japan.

In a police state, the population is always directed to hate. Just as what has happened in the Arab world, where the only safe venue for venting anger is anti-Americanism, in China today, America and Japan (plus Taiwan president Chen) are the sanctioned targets for hate. With or without association with Japan, America is portrayed as demon in the official media since the bombing of Chinese embassy in the Kosovo war. (It is widely known now those anti-American demonstrations were organized by the government.) All that is happening while China is running up a huge trade surplus with America.

To believe that because China has “benefited greatly from trade with America,” the prolonged and pervasive anti-Americanism has only “shallow” effect on the population is self-deluding. Saudi's oil fields were first discovered and explored by American companies. Look what has happened on 9/11. When the official media is the sole source of information and opinion making, reason is the handmaid of propaganda. Has anyone heard a word of thanks from any Chinese officials? All I have heard is America is greedy and stupid.

More importantly, Chinese public, no matter what they think of America, has little say in policy making, domestic or foreign. There is only one player in China, and that is the emperor reincarnated in the supreme party boss. It has been Mao, Deng, and Jiang, in that particular order. Now it is Hu, and everyone else is readily dispensable, including Premier Wen, who did not even dare to visit his old protege, former premier Zhao when Zhao was dying. All signs so far indicate that the police state is tightening its control since the new party boss Hu has taken over, and the economy is growing faster than ever--aided by world capitalists, who willingly turn their eyes away from China’s political reality to search for cheap labor and larger market.

Japanese public had a rude awaking at last year’s football match when anti-Japanese sentiments exploded into the open. That has yet to happen to America, but wait till China’s economic muscles grow even stronger.






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