A few years ago China called for Japan to apologise for killings during WW II and remove references in textbooks neutral to/positive of Japan’s actions.
Today China continually refuses to discuss Tiananmen in spite of calls from its own people.
Today’s China is different. But to continually hold another country guilty for actions, in war, against your people, while sweeping under the carpet actions, in peacetime, in your own backyard, seems wrong, at least to me. Why is the subject of Tiananmen still taboo? Is China all too ready to blame another country for one civilian massacre while apparently not being ready to do some soul-searching for another civilian massacre?
Today’s Chinese administration may not directly be accountable for Tiananmen, of course, despite being the same party. But if today’s China is different – why is it not prepared to discuss mistakes of the past, of a past China?
Anyone else see a disconnect here? What is the message China is sending to ordinary observers like me? Certainly, for a country which cares a lot about “face”, juxtaposing these contradictory actions would seem to “throw face”. Here, China is only tarnishing its own image.
Additionally, it may be able to block its own bloggers and its own people – but it will not be able to block everyone else, and it will lose “face” not only with its own people, but with everyone else.
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