Everyday from the world: There are also bold individual citizens in China who dare to show their own opinion on world affairs, writes Kirsi Crowley, ‘s Asian correspondent.
BEIJING My fork got stuck halfway when a man in a cap appeared at the bar counter next to our lunch table.
I looked at his cap. It was written in pen with neat stick letters “Fuck Putin”. The white law was decorated with the blue-yellow flag of Ukraine and the letters UKR.
I had come with a colleague to sense the atmosphere of a big Ukrainian restaurant in China, where the media is mainly blaming the United States for the war in Ukraine and defending Russia. I was expecting the restaurant to show some support for Ukraine.
But did not show. The basement tavern’s menu included roe and vodka marinated in beef. The waiters had white shirts embroidered in Slavic red, but they were all Chinese.
The television on the wall repeatedly repeated the tourist advertisement of the Russian palace in St. Petersburg. It seemed that the violence in Ukraine had not reached the ears of Beijing diners.
The captain then arrived with his companion at the bar counter in his yellow jacket and ordered a drink.
We stopped talking man as we got off the table.
It was not just startling that the man was protesting openly on behalf of Ukraine with his cap. Protesters are not often seen in Beijing at all. The official machinery stubbornly stops or silences people who are seen to be accelerating on issues sensitive to the government.
The man said resolutely that he wanted to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine and therefore visits a Ukrainian restaurant. He said he represents peace-loving decent Chinese who are concerned about the suffering of Ukrainian civilians, especially women and children.
He said he had sought information about the situation in Ukraine from sources other than Chinese social media and official media.
In China, a firewall can be bypassed by a VPN, or virtual private network. It allows you to create a secure connection to the Internet and access foreign websites.
The man was shocked by the suffering of the Ukrainians and blamed the Russian president for it Vladimir Putinia. He was not afraid of the consequences of the protest in China. If Putin dares to kill the Ukrainians, he will dare to oppose it in his cap.
Chinese attitude However, in the crisis in Ukraine, the captain did not want to start. It could be dangerous for the average person.
The criticism of those in power is a big threshold for the Chinese. My local acquaintance tried to explain everyday life like this: in Europe, people go to a bar and start arguing over politics. We can’t do that, so we go to sing karaoke casually, he laughed at dinner as the thing turned to karaoke.
It was a joke, but no smoke without fire. Personally, I hardly ever hear criticism in China of the country’s administration. On the contrary, in the interviews I can almost predict how the interviewees will praise their home country. The propaganda network has duplicated slogans into the deep ranks of the people.
It is difficult to estimate how many Chinese know or disagree with Ukraine’s war with the mainstream. Even the captain could not say how many support Ukraine. He expresses himself alone with a cap on his head.
Chinese social media censorship erases comments in favor of Ukraine and against Russia. But it is clear that many are questioning the view of the Chinese media.
About a quarter of the 40 students in the class said they supported Russia. No hand rose to support Ukraine. The teacher asked if the students found it dangerous to show support for Ukraine. A few nodded.
There are also daredevils. (switch to another service)Five historians from prestigious Chinese universities condemned Russia’s actions in an open letter published on social media. In less than three hours, the floor had already been removed from Weibo.
Weibo also froze the accounts of two Chinese celebrities criticizing Russia’s actions.
A familiar transsexual on Chinese TV Jin Xing told Reuters that his account was closed when he described Putin as a “crazy Russian man” and urged his followers to pray for peace. Award-winning Chinese actor Ke Lan again, he had shared photographs of anti-war protests in St. Petersburg.
China has stayed Far from the crisis in Ukraine, but has expressed understanding of Russia’s reasons for invading Ukraine. China has called for a negotiated solution, but has not called on its partner Russia to act as an attack.
China sees the crisis between the great powers in the crisis, which Ukraine has left behind. And even if China does not tolerate the massacre in Ukraine, it will be difficult to move its position because Russia’s criticism would benefit China’s enemy, the United States.
So the Chinese hear a view of the war that suits those in power. It’s something completely different than a captain’s message.
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