How does CCP mouthpiece destroy DPP | Chang Ping
I wrote in the column last week that, although it is doubtful Trump would go as far as starting a war with China to protect Taiwan, Xi Jinping is not willing to test it at all. Therefore up until now, the U.S. looking tough is sufficient to stop Beijing from using force and keep Taiwan Strait safe. Actually, we have been seeing more of China acting tough. How should we interpret its stance? Something related to the war?
Last Sunday, a Weibo post from Hu Xijin, the editor of Global Times, has caused a stir. He said, “lately, there have been speculations that Trump administration might make a big move on Taiwan’s problem just before he leaves office, including Pompeo visiting Taiwan or even Trump himself making a flying visit to announce the establishment of a diplomatic relationship with Taiwan, etc. The Asia-Pacific intelligence officers visited Taiwan not long ago was to prepare everything in advance.”
In terms of market positioning, Hu Xijin’s media and Weibo are political tabloids, which often use sensational reports and comments to grab readers’ attention. Before media networking, the front and back pages of Global Times have a fixed format and subject nearly in every edition. On the front page, there would be two big headlines, one vertical and one horizontal; on the back page, there is a large headline. The differences are: the U.S. wants to destroy us, arrogant Japanese right-wing anti-China, people supporting Taiwan independence are at it again. The owner of the newspaper stand can display whichever headline that suits the current situation to the readers.
Hu Xijin and Global Times have more varieties on their subjects on social media and brought in more commercial mechanism, but their exaggerating and provoking way of grabbing readers’ attention has not changed, and they would use every opportunity to sensationalize these types of topics.
On the other hand, they have an important mission, which is to play the role of “the true villain,” alongside “the hypocrite” that is People’s Daily. This is the biggest change of the CCP’s propaganda after the Jun. 4 massacre in 1989. Unlike preaching with empty words like previously (although plenty of which still exist), the new education would admit China has problems but emphasize so have the other countries, everywhere is the same and “interests come first” is a universal principle – it has successfully smeared the western values like democracy, freedom and human rights as meaningless propaganda. So, first using Global Times as the representative, then progressed to wolf warrior diplomacy and has not hesitated to expose its thuggish side. What the great leader and People’s Daily could not say will be said by these “true villain.”
According to Reuters, Rear Admiral Michael Studeman, who is responsible for the U.S. intelligence of the Asia-Pacific region, arrived in Taiwan on Nov. 22. However, apart from Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirming the arrival of a U.S. official, no more information has been published. People were speculating before and after the U.S. election that Trump might be speeding up the Taiwan crisis so he could be the “wartime president” who could not leave his position.
Hu Xijin’s Weibo post could not verify this information but the CCP’s worry. It is not worrying about what some netizens cheered “a once in a million years chance to liberate Taiwan,” but what to do facing this “chance.” What the CCP does at this moment is using the toughest stance to scare off these chances. Hu said, “if it is true, our response would be earth-shaking and destroy the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) which cooperates with Trump administration.”
How is it going to destroy the DPP? Hu said the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) must send military aircraft to fly past Taiwan or hedgehop in Taipei, “I don’t think Taiwan military dare to open fire to the PLA aircraft. If they do, that means war, and our military can immediately apply devastating attacks on their important military facilities such as Taiwan military airport.”
The netizens have asked two questions: firstly, does the devastating attacks from the Chinese military on Taiwan’s important military facilities an act to liberate Taiwan? If the attacks are so powerful, why do they have to wait until the U.S. provides this opportunity? Has Xi Jinping not already warned there would be an “earthquake” if the Tsai Ing-wen administration does not recognize the “1992 Consensus”? Secondly, if the Taiwan military does not fire and Taiwan people treat and watch the PLA aircraft’s hedgehopping as an air show, could the U.S. President then successfully visit Taiwan?
Jin Canrong, another mouthpiece of the Chinese government and Professor of international relations, has on more than one occasion suggested China unify Taiwan by force and that 2020 is the best time to do so. However, when the news of Trump’s possible risky move to create a war in the Taiwan Strait spread, Jin changed his tone and repeatedly reminded the PLA to remain patient and retrained to avoid a cold war or even a war.
Of course, that does not mean Taiwan’s government can do whatever it pleases.
(Chang Ping, commentator)
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