"President Bush asked the terrorists why they destroyed the World Trade
Centre. The terrorists replied: Sorry, there's no World Trade Centre on
these maps of ours. They must be out of date.' "
> The Independent (London) September 22, 2001, Saturday
> COMMENT/Letters
>
> LETTER: VIEW FROM CHINA
>
>
> Sir: Our leaders should be wary of making more enemies than they
can
> kill. I live in China, and have observed the reactions of many
> ordinary Chinese people to the news that Jiang Zemin has offered
> support to the anti-terrorist coalition. Most oppose him. There are
> some feelings of sympathy for the Americans and others who died in
the
> catastrophe, but there are jokes about the attack - "President Bush
> asked the terrorists why they destroyed the World Trade Centre. The
> terrorists replied: Sorry, there's no World Trade Centre on these
maps
> of ours. They must be out of date.' " (This is a reference to the
> excuse the US government gave for the bombing of the Chinese
embassy
> in Belgrade.)
>
> A minority are much more anti-American. "The United Nations should
> give bin Laden a medal!" said one Shanghai taxi driver. "Japan
should
> be next on the list for bombing targets, with Britain next." The
> majority reaction is less extreme, but I do not know a single
Chinese
> person who doesn't believe this is a much-needed lesson to America
to
> stop interfering in foreign countries.
>
> Americans are kidding themselves that the deaths of 5,000 people
and
> the destruction of two famous buildings is a big shock to everyone
in
> the world and that anyone who doesn't sympathise with them is
callous
> or stupid. The most intelligent and kind-hearted Chinese people I
know
> still feel that their government should not have offered support.
> There are reports that certain American journalists have complained
> that China did not fly its national flag at half-mast. "Why the
****
> should we lower the red flag for them?" was a comment I heard from
a
> normally sweet-tempered secretary.
>
> China is having to play a balancing act between its own fear of
> insurgents (it has had problems with Muslim and Tibetan guerrillas
and
> terrorists) and its dislike of international military adventurism,
> which it has consistently opposed for the last 20 years.
>
> This is not to say that China cannot be persuaded. Much of the
> anti-American sentiment has been created by the state-run media,
which
> constantly depicts America as a bully, at least in international
> affairs. If Western leaders remember to consult with the Chinese
> government and maybe even act upon some of its suggestions, maybe
> Beijing will take up more of a co-operative stance. But side-lining
> China might well turn it against us. Let's not underestimate the
> importance of this, in a country where, this month, a new law on
adult
> male conscription came into force.
>
> NICOLAS GROFFMAN
> Shanghai
>
>
Serbian News Network - SNN
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.antic.org/
