Since China is a communist country, the teachings of Jesus Christ hold little currency. Nevertheless, the atheist regime would do well to pay attention to one of Jesus’ sayings: “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”
In recent times, several episodes have revealed the one-eyed nature of Chinese policy and behavior.
The most obvious was the response to the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 on 8 March that was carrying 152 Chinese passengers. While the reaction of frantic family members was understandably emotional, Beijing protractedly criticized Malaysia through its Foreign Ministry and vitriolic state news sources.
For example, the Global Times tabloid asked. “Is the Malaysian military hiding something or is there a lack of coordination between the military and civil affairs departments leading to the huge information mix-up?…We are worried that Kuala Lumpur might not have the ability to handle information effectively. If so, would they consider involving China to study the raw information?”
Such words are ironic considering China’s own behavior at home. On 1 March, “terrorists” killed 29 and hacked more than 140 in Kunming’s train station. President Xi Jinping urged an all-out investigation, and by the following day the authorities had declared Uygurs from Xinjiang were responsible. That same day, Xinhua indicated it was time to move on with its headline “Kunming railway station serious violent terror case is successfully solved”.
This was a remarkably swift case of sleuthing! The barest of details were released to the public, including a single name, that of Abdurehim Kurban, the purported ringleader. It is not even known whether he was caught dead or alive. Since then the authorities have remained mute about the whole incident – there has been no release of information, no public trial.
China was hugely embarrassed by the Kunming incident, and its response was to clam up. This contrasts sharply with the efforts of Malaysian officials, no matter how inept, to answer questions in daily press conferences. The families of the Kunming massacre victims received no answers. Instead, Beijing paid families $50,000 in “humanitarian assistance”, they were sequestered in separate hotels and then quickly sent home.
China’s response to domestic embarrassments is to clamp down on publicity and criticism. This is what it did in the wake of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake and the 2011 Wenzhou bullet train crash. China continues to completely cover up all reference to the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre through ever-tightening media controls and formidable powers of censorship.
China wished to portray an air of competence and military capability during the MH370 search effort. However, Chinese actions were fraught with errors. The first was the mistaken release of satellite imagery purporting to show wreckage in the South China Sea.
Later, Chinese declarations that the vessel Haixun 01 had detected underwater pings in the Indian Ocean were also discounted. HMS Echo, which was diverted to investigate these claims, was quietly withdrawn a few days later. One US defense official stated, “Everybody wants to find the plane…but false leads slow down the investigation.”
The size of China’s search force, consisting of satellites, 18 ships plus aircraft, is also in marked contrast to the country’s insipid relief efforts in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines last November. Locked in a maritime territorial dispute with the Philippines, the parochial Chinese government initially planned to gift a paltry $100,000 in aid.
The concept of ‘face’ is hugely important in China, yet the insular nation frequently blows opportunities to gain international prestige. Under pressure from MH370 victims’ families, the Chinese military has little to show for all its vaunted technological expansion. “In spite of all the hoopla over China building an advanced military, they seem to have not much to show in this operation,” said one Hong Kong-based academic.
Another prominent example of China’s narrow-minded view surrounds the territorial disputes in which it is embroiled in the South China Sea. Beijing greedily claims 90% of the sea, including areas distant from its shores. China was incensed when the Philippines took its competing claim to the United Nations Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) to resolve differences peacefully.
The USA supports Manila’s course of action. Speaking before the Senate Committee on Armed Services on US Pacific Command Posture on 25 March, Admiral Samuel Locklear stated: “Unlike other nations involved in this and similar disputes, China consistently opposes international arbitration, instead insisting on bilateral negotiations – a construct that risks China’s domination of smaller claimants. The activities by multilateral forums to adopt international codes of conduct for the South China Sea and those efforts to legally adjudicate claims need our support.”
Yet, when it suits its position, Beijing claims international norms to support its actions. When China announced without consultation the establishment of an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) in the East China Sea, it eagerly referred to international precedents.
Dr. Andrew Erickson, an associate professor at the Strategic Research Department at the US Naval War College, warns, “Foreign observers worry that the ADIZ will become part of a larger pattern of Beijing’s refusing to adhere fully to existing international norms and standards, even as it pursues the benefits of the system whose functioning they underwrite.”
China also sees fit to criticize Japan for raising its defense budget by 5% over a five-year period. Defense Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng accused Tokyo of exaggerating the military threat from China to justify its military spending. Beijing followed up by increasing its own defense budget by 12.2% and maintaining double-digit growth for the coming year.
Incidentally, China’s top naval commander, Admiral Wu Shengli, requested he be shown the combat information center (CIC) of the Indian Navy frigate INS Shivalik when she was in Qingdao for an international symposium last week. A CIC is one of the most top secret zones of modern warships, and the ship’s captain rightfully denied the demand.
Hypocritical behavior is not just restricted to China’s military affairs. A furor erupted last week in Hong Kong after a child belonging to Mainland parents was photographed urinating and defecating in a local street. This served to stoke impassioned local sentiment already angered by the numbers of Chinese tourists visiting the former British colony, and the caliber of their behavior.
Outraged at Hong Kong’s criticism of this incident, internet users on the Mainland went as far as to commence a “pee and poo” campaign, encouraging Chinese children to relieve themselves on Hong Kong’s streets!
China is not the only country guilty of hypocrisy. Every country attempts to protect its interests or to appeal to domestic audiences. However, whilst China may be able to control public access to information at home, its actions are subject to far greater scrutiny overseas, something it is not yet used to.
Perhaps it is time for Beijing to examine the plank in its eye if it wants others to consider it a responsible global player.(by Gordon Arthur)