The third question went to another U.S. reporter, Hans Nichols of Bloomberg, who took the opportunity to first ask Hu to address the first question. Hu's answer, while far from satisfying for the U.S. media, which prizes freedom of expression as a fundamental right, nonetheless did offer some explanation for the repression that continues in China today. Rather than defending his country's record outright, he offered a qualified explanation, admitting significant room for improvement. According to the transcript, as translated, he said:
China recognizes and also respects the universality of human rights. And at the same time, we do believe that we also need to take into account the different national circumstances when it comes to the universal value of human rights. China is a developing country with a huge population and also a developing country in a crucial stage of reform. In this context, China still faces many challenges in economic and social development, and a lot still needs to be done in China in terms of human rights.
"Hu Jintao's Press Conference: A Controlling Leader Meets An Open Press"
ReplyDeleteby Michael Scherer
TIME, Wednesday, January 19, 2011
More than a year ago, President Obama traveled to Beijing, where he appeared for a press conference before hundreds of reporters with Chinese President Hu Jintao. In a room just off Tiananmen Square, the American reporters, many of whom had previously been asked by Chinese authorities to wear bright purple armbands that read, “Official Press,” waited patiently for a chance to ask questions, as is the custom in such high-level meetings. It never came. Obama and Hu each gave statements. Then they walked out of the room.
ReplyDeleteToday the scene repeated itself, but the setting was different. In the United States, such a major event demanded questions from the press, and so Hu agreed to take four questions in the East Room.
But again, the event did not go quite as expected. Because of a problem with translation—and a translator who Chinese reporters complained of having a strong American accent, among other things—Hu said he did not hear the first question, which asked pointedly about China's poor human rights record of “using censorship and force to repress its people.” So he did not answer it.
The next question was asked by a reporter for CCTV, the major state-operated news channel based in Beijing that reports directly to the Chinese Communist Party's Central Propaganda Department. The question was, predictably, a soft-ball. “What do you think that the two countries need to do to further increase the friendship and mutual understanding between the Chinese and American peoples?” As Hu answered, he appeared to be reading from a prepared text.
The third question went to another U.S. reporter, Hans Nichols of Bloomberg, who took the opportunity to first ask Hu to address the first question. Hu's answer, while far from satisfying for the U.S. media, which prizes freedom of expression as a fundamental right, nonetheless did offer some explanation for the repression that continues in China today. Rather than defending his country's record outright, he offered a qualified explanation, admitting significant room for improvement. According to the transcript, as translated, he said:
China recognizes and also respects the universality of human rights. And at the same time, we do believe that we also need to take into account the different national circumstances when it comes to the universal value of human rights. China is a developing country with a huge population and also a developing country in a crucial stage of reform. In this context, China still faces many challenges in economic and social development, and a lot still needs to be done in China in terms of human rights.
Once again, Hu appeared to be reading from a prepared text. But his statement did at least begin to address the outstanding issues. He seemed to be excusing the repression that still exists in China as a rational response to the nation's growing pangs. (Liu Xiaboa, the latest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2009 for signing a manifesto that called for a more democratic China. His wife has been placed under house arrest.)
But the admission was telling in other ways as well. The CNN broadcast in China of the press conference Tuesday was blacked out by authorities, according to a CNN producer's Twitter feed. Even if the Chinese leader is willing to admit room for improvement on human rights, he is apparently not yet ready to let his people know.