Mac's Musings
China’s Tarnished Media Image
12/10/2007China's media image took a battering last night on Channel 4 News.
Just in case we had somehow got the idea that the regime in China had grown rather more benign in recent years, Channel 4 put the record straight. There has been a savage crackdown on the media ahead of the Communist Party Congress which starts shortly.
Journalists have been imprisoned and beaten. Human rights lawyers like Li Heping have suffered similar treatment. He gave a chilling account of the repression which bears an uncanny likeness to what is happening in Burma. So we would be deluded if we think China will bring the Burmese junta to heel.
It's worth remembering that this smiling Chinese regime will host the Olympics next year and provides a huge percentage of our manufactured goods.
The crackdown in China extends far beyond journalists. The regime's Internet police are ruthlessly pursuing bloggers and shutting down servers who allow bloggers to write freely.
It's a sobering thought that if I was living in China this blog would put me behind bars.
