Chinese cartoonists have field day with NSA revelations
The Chinese media have been particularly interesting to watch, given Edward Snowden鈥檚 decision to seek refuge in Hong Kong and China鈥檚 own history of state surveillance.
The Chinese media have been particularly interesting to watch, given Edward Snowden鈥檚 decision to seek refuge in Hong Kong and China鈥檚 own history of state surveillance.
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The Chinese media are gleefully reporting recent leaks about widespread US surveillance programs, while a prominent Chinese dissident is expressing dismay that the US is "behaving like China."聽
The top-secret programs came to light last week after contractor Edward Snowden divulged information about the scale of government reach into phone and online communication records.
Mr. Snowden鈥檚 journey has been covered by news outlets from Spain to Saudi Arabia, with headlines like 鈥淥bama Isn鈥檛 Bush, But He鈥檚 Like Him,鈥澛犫�淓dward Snowden, Freedom Fighter,鈥澛犫�淣SA surveillance: The US is behaving like China,鈥澛燼nd聽"Dangers of blowing the whistle in the digital age"聽slapped on front pages and websites.
The Chinese media have been particularly interesting to watch, given Snowden鈥檚 decision to seek refuge in Hong Kong.聽Snowden told The Guardian he chose to flee to Hong Kong because 鈥渢hey have a spirited commitment to free speech and the right of political dissent鈥� 鈥撀燼nd China鈥檚 own history of state surveillance.
"For months, Washington has been accusing China of cyberespionage, but it turns out that the biggest threat to the pursuit of individual freedom and privacy in the US is the unbridled power of the government," The China Daily quoted Li Haidong from China Foreign Affairs University.
A cartoon in the paper鈥檚 opinion section depicts a US emblem of freedom 鈥� The Statue of Liberty 鈥� trailed by a shadowy spy wearing headphones and carrying recording devices.
Mr. Snowden鈥檚 leaks now put Chinese media in an interesting position. They can speak out against the US program, but must walk the fine line of not drawing too much attention to China's own cyberprograms, reports The New York Times. They cite another Chinese outlet, The Global Times, which wrote this week: 鈥淲e are not bystanders. The issue of whether the U.S. as an Internet superpower has abused its powers touches on our vital interests directly.鈥�
The Atlantic posted a cartoon from The Global Times as well, depicting the US National Security Agency seal: but the聽bald eagle in the center of the seal is dressed as a classic spy.
China鈥檚 state media today implied the scandal could hurt US-Chinese relations, a comment that comes just days after President Obama met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in California. In the leadup to Mr. Xi鈥檚 visit last week, 海角大神 wrote that 鈥淪trategic trust between the world鈥檚 top two economies is at a dangerously low level, worn away recently in a number of ways.鈥� Top on that list? Accusations from Washington that Beijing used 鈥渕assive commercial espionage.鈥�
The New York Times reports that the presidents seemed to 鈥渟peak past each other鈥� last week when it came to 鈥淎merican accusations that Chinese corporations linked to the military had pilfered military and economic secrets and property in cyberspace.鈥�
Chinese dissident Ai Weiwei wrote in the Guardian this week that the US is 鈥渂ehaving like China.鈥� He referred to the program, Prism, as 鈥渁busively using government powers to interfere in individuals' privacy. This is an important moment for international society to reconsider and protect individual rights.鈥�