PAW March 7, 2007: Letters

Writingabout China
Similar to the vast majority of China-related articles in the mainstreammedia, the article “Rules of engagement” (feature, Jan. 24)is written to the taste of American readership and appears to be a balancedreport of representative opinions.
I worry about the impact of the article, however. While the contentis truthful in isolation, the article may have reinforced the misunderstandingand unrealistic expectations of China by the American public.
I actively participated in the pro-democracy demonstration in TiananmenSquare in Beijing in 1989. I came to the United States in 1990. Duringthe following years, I was shocked to witness the extremely negative portrayaland demonization of China by American media. Don’t get me wrong— I agree that what was reported has been mostly truthful in isolation.However, by relentlessly focusing on a tiny spot of a vast country ofextreme diversity, the American media give American people an extremelybiased view of China.
This problem is not remedied in “Rules of engagement,” whichfailed to give adequate coverage from the Chinese side. If we do not understandhow China thinks of our view on engagement, how can we define rules ofengagement? Aren’t we simply lecturing the Chinese on how to engageand how to follow our rules? Aren’t we imposing our values and ideason the Chinese without understanding them first?
The fundamental issue, both here and on issues related to China, isnot freedom of speech, but mutual understanding. To me, Americans simplydo not have a basic understanding of China or the Chinese, and Americanmedia have yet to make a serious endeavor to cover China in a fair andbalanced manner. Much too often, when an effort is made, interjectingbiased comment immediately defeats the purpose. China is changing fastin all aspects of life, but our views on China have been stagnant.
I spent the first 23 years of my life in China, having lived in a villageof extreme poverty, a small town of frugality and ethnic division, a provincialcapital with a booming economy and social changes, and the capital cityof China. There is no doubt in my mind that democracy in the U.S. stylesimply does not work in China. Singing high praises of freedom of speechand democracy is one matter; advancing a vast country of extreme diversityis another.
Shouldn’t Iraq be a lesson for us all? Keep in mind: The complexityin Iraq is not in the same order of magnitude as that in China.
YIGONG SHI
Professor, Department of Molecular Biology