Beijing envoy Wang Xining attacks ‘narrow view’ of China

One of China’s senior diplomats has lashed out at critics, saying they fail to see his country from a Chinese perspective.

One of China’s senior diplomats has attacked critics of his country’s approach to its relations with Australia, accusing them of existing in a “self-righteous cognitive universe” that takes little account of the support ordinary Chinese have for their government.

In a sign that China’s sensitivity to its critics has reached new heights, Wang Xining, deputy to China’s Australian ambassador, lashed out at the growing debate surrounding his country’s behaviour, saying some commentators failed to include any Chinese perspective on issues such as the banning of two Australian MPs from travelling to China.

Mr Wang singled out speakers at The Australian’s Strategic Forum on the future of Australia’s relation with China this week, saying the event was “several stones’ throw” away from a qualified debate on China.

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@ThomsonVicki #Go8 Chief Executive with Minister Mr WANG Xining, Deputy Head of Mission, The Chinese Embassy to Australia, Canberra pic.twitter.com/4ObZU0zTVh

— #Go8 (@GroupOfEight) August 18, 2019

The forum featured several high-powered figures including former prime minister Paul Keating, Josh Frydenberg, former foreign policy chief Dennis Richard­son and ANZ chair David Gonski offering a range of views about the future of Australia’s relationship with China. But in an opinion article for The Australian, Mr Wang says the forum failed to understand the “Chinese perspective” on debates surrounding his country’s behaviour.

He says rather than be adventurous “like kangaroos”, Australia was “losing its charm and recoiling into a cocoon woven by someone else”. “Failure to grasp and understand the Chinese perspective makes many Australians complacent about Australia’s superiority of wealth, culture and system over China,” he says.

Mr Wang said citizens supported the decision to deny visas for Liberal MP Andrew Hastie and Senator James Paterson because of criticism of the Chinese government.

“If an Aussie reads Mandarin comments from Chinese journalists, scholars, businessmen and in most cases ordinary Chinese citizens, he or she will be astounded by the overwhelming support of the Chinese people for the government’s decision to not permit Australian members of parliament Andrew Hastie and James Paterson to visit China, as they had tossed rounds of insult and pressure and showed no respect for the nation of which they are knocking at the door,” said.

“To make it less barbaric, I wonder how an Aussie would react to someone who called you a ‘jerk’ and then said he was going to teach you how to cook noodles in your house as he believes only he knows the right recipe?”

Mr Wang said Australians were also being deprived of adequate knowledge of how the Chinese system worked, let alone opportunities to demystify the Communist Party of China and appreciate the humane, rational, intelligent and most importantly democratic ­features of the political establishment.

“It is cynical that in a country boasting of freedom of speech, different views from another ­nation are constantly and intentionally obliterated,” he wrote.

“Understanding truth succumbs to being politically right. A people said to be audacious and adventurous like kangaroos are scared of stepping out of comfort zones of ideas and thinking.”