No such thing as 'anti-China forces'

By WU ZUOLAI, BEIJING, China

Published: April 04, 2008

Within China, many drumbeaters are stirring up anger against so-called "anti-China forces," referring to groups that are against the Chinese people, hold historical hostility toward the race, or have a conflict of interest with China or its people. If these voices are correct and such forces do exist, they will oppose the Chinese whenever they have a chance -- whether it's the Chinese people or the Chinese nation. They will always be anti-China, just as mice are always anti-cat.

Does this perception match the reality, however?

Actually, those judged "anti-China" because of their critical or even hostile attitudes -- including foreign political figures, media and some other groups -- are not against the Chinese people but against Beijing, a synonym for China's government.

Therefore, one should more precisely define these forces as critical of Beijing, or anti-Beijing. There are people who, in their innermost nature, have an aversion to Beijing's policies and systems. They may be overtly hostile, but it is not toward the Chinese leaders or the Chinese people. It is related to problems and troubles caused by the political system, which have harmed the Chinese people and are also factors contributing to instability in the world.

In the eyes of some angry Chinese youth, the conflict between China and the world can only be attributed to conflicts of interest. Does this imply that feelings of love and hate between people are merely a matter of shared or conflicting interests?

In fact, we are living in an era where values are a central issue; the core values of a nation determine its core competitiveness, its level of development and the degree of respect it holds in the world. Interests are just temporary and utilitarian while values are eternal and universal.

In addition, international criticism of Beijing results at least partly from Beijing's deficiencies in certain areas of performance. Likewise, the United States also faces international criticism for the same reason.

I would advise that Beijing improve its ability to listen to different opinions -- to correct any errors, to be more lighthearted if there are none, and to cultivate a spirit of forgiveness as well as an ability to correct its own mistakes in the face of criticism.

Because civil society is not strong in China, and the mainstream media are all controlled by the authorities, the government is not exposed to a variety of opinions. As a result, the authorities are not used to dealing with disagreements arising within local communities.

Now they are facing a range of opinion from the international community. Some view China's troubles with indifference and some suggest ineffective solutions. This is all inevitable. What the Chinese should do is simply listen to different voices, and set right what needs to be changed. After all, other people are only speaking about you, but no one regulates your words and deeds, nor does anyone resort to force.

In brief, there is no such thing as anti-Chinese forces in international society; there is only some criticism of the systems or problems of Beijing.

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(Wu Zuolai is a scholar at the Chinese Art Research Institute in Beijing and an active commentator on current affairs. This article is translated and edited from the Chinese by UPI Asia Online. The original may be found at www.ncn.org and wublogger.blog.sohu.com. ©Copyright Wu Zuolai.)

http://www.upiasiaonline.com/Politics/2008/04/04/no_such_thing_as_anti-china_forces/1096/