Thursday, November 08, 2007

The power of China

A number of disturbing items involving China in the news lately:

- 'Adroit' China plays dollar - Post; also see Gazette.

- China rumbles, CBC quakes, doc done in. (Sun's Peter Worthington); also in the Post. However, CBC denies pressure (Star).

- 'Date Rape' Drug found in Chinese Toys - Edmonton Sun; also see City News.



Anyone seeing a pattern here? The Worthington article contains some hints:

David Kilgour, a former cabinet minister who has travelled the world exposing China's abuse of human rights, its sale of body organs and the persecution of Falun Gong, was interviewed in the documentary and has no doubt the CBC bowed to pressure.

"I'm sure the Chinese threatened the CBC that running Red Wall would jeopardize the CBC's coverage of the Beijing Olympics. It's their style," he said. "When I was planning to visit Taiwan they urged me not to, and said it would damage relations with China. I went anyway and nothing happened. They did nothing."

When Prime Minister Stephen Harper was photographed with the Dalai Lama, China threatened this would damage relations. Then nothing happened. Beijing tried it on for size, and when it didn't work, it did nothing. Business as usual. China follows a policy of intimidation -- if a person or organization or country can be intimidated, it will be. If it can't be, it won't be. Beijing will try something else.


Better watch those Christmas toys.


* * * *

Update: Meanwhile, China must have felt the economic pressure from the rest of the world regarding the alleged 'Bible ban':

A notice on the official Beijing Olympics Web site explaining entry procedures into the country said "each traveler is recommended to take no more than one Bible into China.''

However, the policy does not apply to Falun Gong, a spiritual movement that has been declared a cult by the Chinese government and banned. China has cracked down hard on followers of the sect, who the U.S. State Department has said face arrest, detention and even possible torture and abuse.

"We don't recognize it because it's a cult.

* * * *
Friday Update: Unam-Ambid - Profiles in Courage and Cowardice: Harper and the CBC.

Saturday Update - 'Reworked' Falun Gong documentary to air on CBC - Globe.


10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Imagine that...the CBC bending the truth, trying to be politically correct.Nothing new.
Time to quit funding this excuse for 'news and journalism.'

This is frightening tho on the other hand.What kind of 'power' could China exercise in Canada? What do we know about Chinise terrorist network in Canada?

Anonymous said...

This is probably what CBC calls balance.

It had to pull the Tommy Douglas Mini-series over bias.

So protecting a few commies from bad depiction is what they consider a tit for that tat.

Red Tory said...

Sorry, is this the CBC-bashing thread, or the China-bashing thread? I didn't get a program on the way in...

Joanne (True Blue) said...

is this the CBC-bashing thread, or the China-bashing thread?

I know. Hard to tell the difference. Similar ideologies.

Red Tory said...

You may actually be correct there, but perhaps not for the reasons you might think that you are.

Anonymous said...

hi Joanne
I've been travelling so have not posted for a long time. missed you
Is Red Tory an alien or just a mind reader?????
Florence

Anonymous said...

Think Maurice Strong has connections to CBC?

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Missed you too, Florence. Welcome back! Don't mind Red Tory. He's harmless. ;)

Anonymous said...

if Harper's thinking about a referendum to abolish the Senate, how about we kill two birds with one stone and add the CBC to the list of useless white dudes?

Let the country decide if they want to continue to be exposed to the "balanced" journalism and bias of the entitled broadcaster?

Anonymous said...

Let the country decide if they want to continue to be exposed to the "balanced" journalism and bias of the entitled broadcaster?

As long as we also have a referendum to abolish all regulation of all telecommunications. Then I can start my own station and just crank it up till it drowns out everyone else.

Because as it stands, these regulations mean all broadcasters are "entitled" broadcasters.