Chinese VP visit - why only 48 hours notice?
I had no idea. Did anyone? Friday afternoon the Deputy PM announces that the Vice Premier of China (No.7 in the leadership [W]) will be arriving on Sunday for an official state visit with a 50-strong entourage. At 48 hours notice - and buried in the Friday news dump.
Is this an attempt to short-circuit and pre-empt any protest activity from local activists? I query the announcement because the extraordinary lengths the NZ government - and the NZ Police - have gone through in the past to avoid any official Chinese delegation coming into contact with, or even being in a position to possibly be aware of, local protests about the nature and methods of the authoritarian and often brutal Chinese government. In Christchurch (I recall) buses were driven in and lined up outside a venue to prevent the protesters being seen, and there was much controversy over the Green MPs being ordered by police (in turn ordered by Chinese security) to take down a Tibetan flag they were holding in parliament grounds. There have also been incidents were some Chinese journalists suspected of being anti-Beijing have been turfed out of press conferences. Their hyper-sensitivity and the all too readily compliant NZ authorities is well known.
Meanwhile tonight in Auckland the usual suspects - the ones who most likely would protest the Chinese leadership's visit - will be zombie marching in town for a $15/hr minimum wage.
It takes a lot of organisation and time to put together these rallies which is why I suspect the NZ government has given the public such short notice when it comes to the Chinese visit.
posted by Tim Selwyn @ 2:49 pm
3 comments
3 Comments:
It is the Chinese way
I kid you not sometimes our clients give absolutely no notice.
They are paranoid travellers. Check the 50 strong delegation.
You should check if they are bringing their own guns as well. Seriously. These blokes do not fuck around with security, or leave it to other Police forces.
Maybe they are just bloody rude. Maybe the government doesn't want any hippies getting mown down by these goons. Keep it low key, pre-empt any protest 'disharmony' by giving only 48 hours notice. It must have been scheduled in some way weeks, or even months in advance. Bob Parker's even in the loop on this one.
Paranoid/superstitious: I note that 1-3 November is right on the full moon. Auspicious. A second Confucius Institute. A what? Funded by who - The People's Republic of China? For what purpose? One of the puppet-masters behind the front row of the communist party is opening this institute.
about the nature and methods of the authoritarian and often brutal Chinese government.
Facts are their methods government suit the current economic and social environment of China today.
Indeed more and more people are awaking to the fact that the Western liberal democratic way is not the sole path to prosperity and modernization.
Westerners are arrogant - their way is the only way - does it come from Christianity? (only one path to salvation).
China is admired throughout the Third World, especially Africa, for the way in which it is dragging millions upon millions out of poverty, at a rate unprecedented in all of human history. Those who admire and respect China are found mainly in the non-white world.
The authoritative Pew Research poll on global opinion, shows the vast majority of the world's population has a positive view of China. The most positive views are found first in Africa, and then in Asia.
http://tinyurl.com/b22aa7
Predictably, from the linked article, it is the Western whitey countries who dislike China.
That is because the whitey countries are full of post colonial angst. They can't stomach the fact that for the first time in 500 years, a major non-white country is finally gaining some clout in the global arena.
Interestingly, the Russians, who China learnt so much from in the past, are now coming to China to learn how to successfully run a large country.
http://tinyurl.com/yjv7dk9
I just wonder what the source of your angst is Tim?
I thought a person of your purported political leanings would be happy to see a non-white country with some degree of influence in the world.
Without China, it would be whitey all the way.
In fact everyone should be grateful for commnunism. It is the only ideology and political movement that has successfully fought and defeated imperialism these past 100 years.
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