China Censors Part of Obama Speech
BEIJING — President Obama’s 18-minute Inaugural Address on Tuesday was generally lauded by Americans for its candor and conviction. But the Chinese Communist Party apparently thought the new American president’s gilded words were a little too direct.
China Central Television, or CCTV, the main state-run network, broadcast the address live until the moment President Obama mentioned “communism” in a line about the defeat of ideologies considered anathema to Americans. After the off-screen translator said “communism” in Chinese, the audio faded out even as Mr. Obama’s lips continued to move.
CCTV then showed an anchor asking an analyst about the economic challenges that President Obama faces. The analyst was clearly caught off guard by the sudden question.
The offending line in the president’s speech was this: “Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.”
Later, the president went on to say: “To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.”
Chinese translations of the speech published Wednesday by state-run news organizations here and on prominent Web portals omitted that line and the word “communism” in the earlier line. The government, however, allowed the full English text of the speech to be published.
This is not the first time that the Chinese have censored an American official’s remarks. In 2004, former vice president Dick Cheney visited Beijing and was told he could speak, live and uncensored, to the Chinese people. But the broadcast on Chinese television received no advance promotion or even a listing in the Chinese news media and was not repeated.
The authorities promptly provided leading Web sites with a “full text” of the vice president’s remarks, including his answers to questions after the speech, that struck out references to political freedom, Taiwan, North Korea and other issues that propaganda officials considered sensitive.
In 2003, a government-owned Chinese publisher issued an authorized Chinese version of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s autobiography, “Living History,” that changed most of Mrs. Clinton’s references to her and former President Bill Clinton’s visits to China.
In the case of the Obama speech, the censorship might actually have drawn more attention to the address.
Word of the deleted references circulated rapidly online, and Chinese Internet users vented their displeasure. “This rubbish translation is edited at points,” groused one post attached to the translation on Sina.com, a popular Web portal. The post characterized the translation with an expletive.
Another user took offense at the speech itself rather than the act of censorship. The user posted a comment vowing to “defeat American imperialism.”
Some Internet users expressed outrage that President Obama lumped communism with the clearly reviled ideology of fascism.
Propaganda officials in China often deploy teams of commentators to post patriotic messages on Web sites and online bulletin boards, and it is often difficult to get a broad picture of public sentiments from a small sampling of anonymous postings.
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