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By Adrienne Mong/NBC News File
China's keeping mum on the leaked US diplomatic cables.
By Adrienne Mong and Bo Gu
As fascinating as the leaked U.S. diplomatic cables may be to China-watchers, the latest batch of documents should be treated cautiously.
The cables, mostly based on South Korean sources, suggest China is fed up with its northern neighbor. Among the more startling revelations: that China “would be comfortable with a reunified Korea controlled by Seoul and anchored to the U.S. in a ‘benign alliance’ as long as Korea was not hostile towards China” and that North Korea “had little value to China as a buffer state.”
“The majority of the cables which talk about China-North Korea relationship seem to emanate from Seoul as opposed to Beijing, so I think they say a lot of about what South Korean diplomats really would wishfully hope for a Chinese position,” said Stephanie Kleine-Ahlbrandt, North East Asia Project Director and China Adviser at the International Crisis Group.
Only one side of the story
Moreover, the leaked documents might only capture one dimension of a complex policymaking process in China.
“These are cables between diplomats, and foreign ministries have certainly a very important role in making foreign policies, but they are hardly the only actors,” said Kleine-Ahlbrandt. “Particularly in the Chinese contexts, in addition to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, you have on North Korea other factors that are equally important, such as the Communist Party’s International Liaison Department, the People’s Liberation Army.”
At a regularly scheduled press briefing, Beijing refused to comment on the substance or content of the WikiLeaks cables, only saying that it hoped the U.S. would “properly handle” the situation and that China “did not want to see any disturbance to China-U.S. relations.”
As with many other governments implicated in the cables, the Chinese central government has gone into damage control. Which also means controlling the information.
Controlling the content
The leaks have dominated headlines in some major Chinese news outlets, and two popular Web portals have published special reports. But for most Chinese citizens who do not speak English, what they see in domestic news is extremely limited.
Netease.com, one of China’s biggest Web portals, translated a great deal of the newly released documents in its special report. Readers can easily learn about Moammar Gadhafi’s fear of heights, Hillary Clinton’s order for spying on U.N. officials, Azerbaijan’s first lady’s frequent plastic surgeries, or even the Saudi king’s suggestion on planting microchips on criminal suspects.
But there’s absolutely no information on the China-related cables -- on the Politburo’s hacking of Google or North Korea or Tibet issues.
In fact, Netease’s special report posts a map that illustrates the amount of cables released from all over the world, clearly indicating 3,297 came out of Beijing -- a bigger number than most of the other cities sourced in the diplomatic cables. But in the thousands of comments left by the website’s readers, nobody raises the one obvious question: why is there nothing about China?
WikiLeaks is already blocked in China. It’s a common strategy the government adopts whenever there is information they don’t want citizens to see -- although most of the time not everything is censored, and only official news coverage on the sensitive subject by Xinhua or CCTV is permitted.
Instead, Chinese media coverage of the leaks concerning U.S. military strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan has created an anti-America forum for segments of the Chinese online community.
“Assange should be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize because he’s a fighter protecting the spirit of freedom. He liberated the whole world from the American dictator’s rule on truth,” was a comment first left on another popular Web portal, Sina.com; it was soon reposted many times.
“The Iraq war was illegal itself. What WikiLeaks has released on the war is righteous and enables more people to know the ordeal Iraqi people are suffering under this illegal war. This could end the Iraqi war sooner and bring another anti-terror war supported by the whole world,” reads another comment on QQ.com, a popular Website favored by Chinese youth.
Ordinary Chinese perhaps unfazed
To some critics, the lack of enthusiasm in finding out what may have been leaked about China is unsurprising. “There are a couple of reasons behind this,” said Bei Feng, a Hong Kong based Internet observer in a phone interview with NBC. “First, the government probably has ordered a ban on the leaks on China. Secondly, there’s not too much information translated into Chinese.”
Bei argues that altogether the leaks are probably “not a big shock for the Chinese people. What we have learned from WikiLeaks falls into our common knowledge of what we think of the government. People don’t think it’s strange that China would want to back the Korean peninsula’s reunification or abandon North Korea, and people think it’s completely normal for China to buy off a country like Kyrgyzstan. Google, yeah, we’ve all assumed like that before, so nothing is making any big impact on the people here at all.”
But the coming release of new U.S. diplomatic cables on China has Bei on alert. “As more content is translated, we need to see whether there’ll be more impact. For example, if there’s any new information on the student protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989, or if there’s any corruption related to the second generation of Communist officials. This is the kind of content that touches on the most sensitive areas for Chinese, and people care about that more.”
Leave a Comment:
“Assange should be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize because he’s a fighter protecting the spirit of freedom. He liberated the whole world from the American dictator’s rule on truth”
I suppose they wouldn't say the same about the Chinese Nobel Peace Prize winner would they?
yeah they wouldn't say it loud, but they would engrave his name in their mind
I used to work in China as an expat and used to chat extensively with Chinese nationals about politics..
I think I can safely say that Chinese support for Korean reunification (and for getting rid of their "allies" in Pyongyang) would simply not be news. I'd say virtually every educated Chinese national already knows or assumes this to be the case, and just about everybody would favor it. Remember, most Chinese assume that the US military presence in Korea is transitory, and that eventually South Korea will be firmly in their sphere of influence, by virtue of geography, history and economic interest. They are also smart enough to take anything their own government says publicly with a grain of salt and know that their own leaders simply don't take "Crazy Man Kim" (as he is often referred to by Chinese) seriously, despite state media announcements to the contrary. Few Chinese believe their own government's propaganda.
Most Chinese (and most Americans) probably can't find Kygizstan and Khazakstan on a map, much less care about their own government's machinatons there.
Taking out julian Assange might not solve the problem because wikileaks is an organization, but it would give the american people some satifaction.
It would give you satisfaction, clinton-2724215, another anonymous jabberer. However, it would be one more criminal action by the US government which is with each passing day being exposed for what it is -- a violator of international law, a violator of human rights law, a violator of Geneva Conventions, a violator of the laws of war. Julian Assange is a hero to several billion people on the planet who are victims of US actions and who can now see the nature not just of the US government, but of their own corrupt, collaborationist governments. The most important task for global activists is to help the people of the world understand the nature of the global ruling class, the role of the US in that scheme, and the fact that you can not trust imperialists, as Che Guevara said. My regards to Mr. Assange and Wikileaks.
HAHAHAHAHA!!! This is funny! I wonder how North Korea feels about China not giving a $#%@ about them!
@!$%#ing take north korea out @!$%# how long do we need to wake lets go send in the troops it will only take a day to invade the whole country what are we waiting for
The fact that they have nukes? and enough artillery to kill millions of south koreans?
God why do they let people like you exist.
poor Assange. It's pretty hard to make enemies out of EVERY single world power, poiltical force and major commercial interest on the face of the planet.. and have every single intelligence agency gunning for him. I hope he has a safe house he can hide out in... in Antarctica. He does realize that he can't actually leave the planet doesn't he?
Actually, Ecuador welcomes him. Antarctica probably not, since is occupy by US, Argentina, Britain and many other countries.... they will hunt him down and claim penguin attack.
I'd hope they'd release info on Tiananmen Square that would shake up the Chinese and make them realize what their government did. Also, they need to wake up to what they're doing to Tibet!
There is yet much wealth and resources to be obtained from the US before China crushes us. I really don't blame them though. China has found the ultimate fool upon which she can perpetrate the perfect "Ponzi scheme". That fool is greedy American capitalism. No wonder they don't want the relationship aggravated.
The friction between political entites, as seen from my eye on the world is simply a disgrace -- be it coming from one man or from a nation of idiots-- the answer is the nations of the continet hear and believe the message of the gospel of the Lord Jesus.
Christ.
Yikes !
Viva la Ratification
Years of US policymaking have lead to the current economic and political crisis in America. China is the world’s factory. The Chinese are not bad people, but it is unlikely that the American or European economies will be able to compete against the neomercantalism that persists throughout Asia. The Federal government has an obligation to democracy, human rights, and capitalism to ratify NAFTA and the legislation that allows PAC to influence the electoral process. China may be undergoing a period of what is referred to as hypercapitalism, but it has been indirectly driven by US consumerism under the direction of poor legislation through corporate political manipulation. The irony is that the corporations will be left behind in Mainland China through reverse engineering and local state funded start-ups that have the ability to out compete foreign companies because of cheaper labor and the eradication of research and development costs. The American people have no obligation to the Chinese government, and the Federal government’s only obligation to China, and the rest of the world, is to repay its debts. This will never be done, especially when governments around the world are practicing neomercantalism, without American legislation that implements economic protective measures by raising importation taxes on products being sold in the US. The Federal government has an obligation to its citizenry and foreign workers, American and Chinese alike, to protect our national economy without detracting from our human rights, as set forth in the US Constitution, without diluting our quality of life and ability to function as a democratic society. If this means that US citizens are obligated to pay premium pricing for products, it is a short-term inconvenience to protecting the sovereignty of our nation and people. Let it be noted, that since the technological revolution began, Americanism has been seen by nations around the globe as fad. Hypercapitalism is clearly good for the few, but it has, historically, been the middle class which has brought forth the ideas that have allowed businesses to create a global economy. The US Federal Government and European Governments must protect the economic structures that embody ethical capitalism, democratic values, and economic sovereignty.
Terry Smithscent: Sir, yours is a very well thought out and informative written scroll, founded in proven history and narrated in logical reality. I, for one, thank you for sharing your considered and intelligent assessment of our predicaments. Hopefully, the powers that be will take note and begin corrective action. I believe many, including our President realize our gross errors and wish to effect correction. The congress however, is another matter. That body (the only "distinctly native American criminal class") seems to think and act as though, It's very reason for being, is the fullfilment of patronage to It's most wealthy sponsors, and will, I think, continue their stupid and greedy plundering. Again, thank you so much. Note: Above quote in parenthesis borrowed from "Mark Twain".
Great !! first laugh today !
I don't care about any of the politics. I love Chinese food.
Julian Assange will usher in a new age for the internet and world politics through his actions. It will be a more repressive and regressive world, for certain, and one on the brink of war, but at least he will be famous.
I notice he doesn't spend a second of his time defending or aiding the people who leaked the documents to him in the first place. I mean, thank god people send him secret documents like that. Otherwise he'd probably just be some hacker geek in a shack somewhere in the boonies instead of a media star who can get away with sexual harassment and rape. He's like a pasty-faced git version of Charlie Sheen, except with geek and lefty cred.
The problem I have with him is that he is attacking the only countries in the world that even slightly care about human rights, intellectual property issues, and internet freedom. The others would just torture him to find out every last detail of his network before making it a front for their self-promoting propaganda after placing him in "special protective custody" in a salt mine somewhere.
France's General Massu used torture in the past in Algeria, supported its use afterwards while a serving member of France's armed forces, and in interviews after his retirement advocated the use of extreme torture techniques like electric shock and severe beatings on people like Osama Bin Laden. The United Kingdom advocates the constant surveillance of ordinary citizens and the kidnapping, torturing, and even killing opponents of its government and its interests by operatives whose identities must be kept secret at all costs and who have no direct oversight at all. Germany has been found to have traded concern for human rights for access to cheap fuel and favourable markets for their gross national product. The Dutch were such cruel, oppressive, and yet incompetent colonial overlords that the Malaysian government still insists on keeping them at arm's length. Spain only rejoined the rest of humanity in the 1970s after the official death of Franco led to the slow dismantling of his Fascist regime. The scandinavian and Northern European NATO countries admitted in the 1970s, after a series of war games and field exercise hazing scandals, that their militaries were trained to use torture techniques in the field to retrieve time-sensitive intelligence during a state of war with the Soviet Union. Most third world armies have no human rights training and are routinely officially ordered to violate human rights laws by their superiors or government authorities. Meanwhile the US is "supposed to know better" than the entire rest of the world and act as the world's social worker, teacher, doctor, grocer, and policeman without benefitting in the slightest.
Why does he view undermining NATO's and SEATO's security as a blow to American "imperialism"? His actions threaten the lives not only of American military personnel, but those from countries whose NGO's intitally supported him. Eventually even Australia, his country of birth, will have to do something about his actions before he stupidly leaks data that compromises their security and national defense.
Comparisons to Daniel Ellsberg are rediculous; Ellsberg revealed a secret front on the war in Vietnam, which only embarassed the US without fatally compromising the overall war effort. Ellsberg didn't reveal the names of all Special Forces and CIA assets in Southeast-Asia or leak battle plans in case of direct Chinese or Russian involvement, strategic deplyments, or troop strengths of units in theater. Assange has done this and more. These disclosures threaten the security of the countries that support his organization and eventually will lead to even the most far-left-fringe media groups and NGOs to shun him on basic principles. Otherwise they might suffer from being closed out from their political and governmental news sources. Who would read Le Monde if it could only get access to football scores and what shoes Carla Bruni might wear today?
He has gone from a "crusader" revealing corruption and human rights abuses to the head of an intelligence-gathering network that uncovers sensitive government diplomatic initiatives and government defense policies to feed his ego and let him clumsily play at "kingmaker". He apparently doesn't care for peace treaties and alliances that protect small, weaker countries (Poland, Taiwan, South Korea) from large aggressor powers like Russia and China who have openly flaunted human rights and believe in censoring their internet networks.
His actions help terrorist organizations that target innocent non-combattants and minority groups and aid states that deliberately violate human rights on principle by giving ammunition to their propaganda efforts. He's actually done far worse by indirectly supporting their efforts and undermining the legitimacy of their opponents (who for all their flaws generally support human rights efforts and intervene as best they can to prevent suffering, if only for the public relations value).
He also has a hypocritical view that there should be "complete transparency" in everyone's lives...except his own, of course. You can't interview people he knows about his past, his actual political and social views, his personality, his perceived current or past mental state, what his favorite color is, etc. because it intrudes on his personal privacy. You can't leak his personal emails or letters because they are private and meant to be a confidentiality between himself and the recipients and are nobody else's business. Also, there's the rape and sexual harassment charges (at least the one we know about...), his high-handed contempt of the Swedish legal system for even considering to try him on these charges, and his efforts to blackmail his way out of his predicament. Usually not the actions of an innocent man.
Also we forget he's just the figurehead for an organization. If he goes to jail, there will be a new figurehead who will get the award placques and grants and the fawning talking-head pieces in the media. He's vestigial, like an appendix or third nipple. If Assange is very unlucky, he will find that his brainchild will treat him like he treats the whistleblowers who were arrested provding him with his information: a patsy to be discarded and forgotten until he is useful again. Maybe he could write a book (though it would have to be about something other than his life story, his alleged crimes and details of his defense and prosecution, his organizartion in depth, the people in his organization and how their anonymous hard work and significant contributions to its success make his fame possible...in short it has to be about nothing of interest to anybody remotely interested in knowing anything at all).
Perhaps the best way to deal with WikiLeaks is to give them a taste of "Total Transparency" and unfiltered total scrutiny. Nothing deliberately hostile or potentially viewed as endangering to their wellbeing should be carried out by the perpetrators (like stalking, flaming or cyberbullying). Special care should be exercised so that the target's jeopardy would be minimized as much as possible (I mean, you can potentially choke to death on a peach pit, but I can still sell you fresh fruit while knowing that such a freak one-in-a-million accident might occur through blind chance or your own ineptitude). Leak a list of all employees names and addresses along with employer, registered political affiliations, recent charity donations, weight, age, professional resume, recent credit card purchases (NO credit card numbers or account data), items Amazon.com thinks they might fancy, who they voted for in the Eurovision song competition or American Idol, that novel or poetry collection they're working on since middle school, etc. Take and upload photos, videos, and audio clips of members when they are acting like idiots in public, saying inappropriate or insensitive things, or doing inappropriate or illegal things in plain sight. Hack their smartphones and computers and send their stored emails and photos to all their contacts or even upload them to the web (especially their "hidden" porn and sex-ting files). Celebrities undergo such inconveniences all the time and consider it the price of fame. Perhaps that will give them insight into their actions and get them to realize how it feels to be violated like that.