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Chinese media use race clashes to criticise US over Hong Kong
BEIJING, May 31, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Chinese state media took aim at
the US government over the weekend as many American cities were
gripped by raging protests and clashes, comparing the unrest with the
pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong.
Beijing has long been infuriated by criticism from Western
capitals, especially Washington, over its handling of the
pro-democracy protests that shook Hong Kong last year.
And as unrest erupted across the United States over racial
inequality and police brutality after the death during arrest of an
unarmed black man, Chinese government spokespeople and official media
launched broadsides against American authorities.
Chinese media also circulated video clips suggesting Hong Kong
police were “restrained” in comparison to actions seen in the US.
“US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi once called the violent protests in
Hong Kong ‘a beautiful sight to behold.’… US politicians now can
enjoy this sight from their own windows,” Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of
nationalist tabloid Global Times, wrote Saturday.
It was “as if the radical rioters in Hong Kong somehow snuck into
the US and created a mess like they did last year”, he added.
China has insisted that “foreign forces” are to blame for the
turmoil in Hong Kong, where pro-democracy protesters — described by
Beijing as rioters — have marched in the millions since June last
year and often clashed with the police.
Beijing sparked outrage and concern earlier this month with a plan
to impose a law on Hong Kong that it said was needed to protect
national security and curb “terrorism”, but was condemned by
pro-democracy activists and Western nations as another attempt to chip
away at the city’s unique freedoms.
Following President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would strip
Hong Kong of its special privileges, a commentary published Sunday in
China Daily — a mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party — said US
politicians dreamed of “victimising” China.
“Better give up that dream and come back to reality,” it said.
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“Violence is spreading across the US… US politicians should do
their jobs and help solve problems in the US, instead of trying to
create new problems and troubles in other countries.”
– Lack of transparency –
The back-and-forth over Hong Kong has exacerbated US-China
tensions, which were already high over a number of issues — including
trade and the coronavirus pandemic, over which Trump has accused
Beijing of a lack of transparency.
As violence broke out in the US over the weekend, Chinese foreign
ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying also took aim at Washington.
“I can’t breathe,” she said on Twitter, with a screenshot of a
tweet by US State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus that had
criticised the Chinese government over its Hong Kong policy.
Hua was quoting the words George Floyd was heard saying repeatedly
before his death — after a police officer knelt on his neck for
nearly nine minutes — which sparked the current unrest in the United
States.
Over the weekend, Chinese media also circulated video clips of the
US violence, accompanied by the hashtag “How restrained are the Hong
Kong police” on the Twitter-like platform Weibo.
One clip posted by the People’s Daily on Sunday compared the recent
on-screen arrest of CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez, who was covering
the unrest in the US city of Minneapolis last Friday, with scenes of
Hong Kong police appearing to back away from media personnel in the
city last year.
The accompanying caption said “reporters used their professional
identities to obstruct law enforcement”.
Police in Hong Kong have been accused by rights groups of using
excessive force during pro-democracy protests last year.
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