The strike at the Beijing News could well turn the newspaper brand into a beacon of Chinese freedom. Covered yesterday at this blog, the Taipei Times sheds more light on the matter today:

The good news to come out of this is that Chinese readers are becoming more conscious of—and dissatisfied with—the way that their rights are being trampled on by their government. It takes guts to go on strike over such matters in China—where police can throw people in jail on groundless charges of threatening the national security, and all in the absence of due process.
   The reason cited by the government for the personnel change at the Beijing News was “political security”—a typically lame excuse used to arrest people or suppress opponents or perceived irritants. …
   The popularity of newspapers known for publishing critiques of social issues and coverage of social discontent suggests that there is strong demand for knowledge among average Chinese. Beijing News itself is very popular among intellectuals and white-collar workers.

   If those oppressed Chinese people living under the Politburo’s control do desire freedom, then the Beijing News might become as grand a symbol as the student in front of the tank at Tiananmen Square in 1989. In which case this incident could backfire on the Politburo, which really needs to live by the Confucian values that have worked in China (well, at least till the Sung Dynasty) and successful modern Asian economies (e.g. Singapore).
   But, according to the Reds, Tiananmen never happened (at least not officially and publicly). (It seems hypocritical to attack Japan for ignoring its atrocities during World War II. Even if I believe Japan needs to admit to the deaths of 32 million Chinese and its war role, but that is another story.)
   It also seems hypocritical to block certain web sites to the Chinese people, including sites from the Republic of China, if indeed it believes in a “one China” ideal.
   Before any Communists come and attack me, as they had done after an earlier blog post, let me say this: show me why your oppression is better and I will consider it.
   But I believe in the freedom of all Chinese people, not just those who have free elections in the Republic. And that freedom can only mean success for the Chinese brand, raising it from having the image of a mere manufacturing base to a grander, richer one where its history and culture are universally admired.
   Till then, the Chinese brand remains cluttered, with questionable brand equity, and with fear surrounding just what its vision is when it comes to international commerce. posted by Jack Yan, 11:10 AM  permalink