Orwellian vibe: China’s Foreign Minister takes to the big screen to lord it over the little people
China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi took to the big screen, rather than the usual podium to speak to the media, yesterday, in a scene reminiscent of George Orwell’s 1984.
The 3:00 pm press conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing was held “in line with COVID-19 containment measures,” according to official speak.
China’s Foreign Minister appeared larger-than-life on multiple screens at the venue, spookily akin to Orwell’s fictional character “Big Brother.”
The biggest highlight in China’s foreign relations has been “head-of-State diplomacy”, Wang Yi said.
Speaking on COVID-19, Wang said: Through innovative “cloud diplomacy”, President Xi Jinping has championed solidarity in the world’s fight against COVID-19, and pointed the way forward for the international community to jointly fight the virus.
In the face of the once-in-a-century pandemic, China and Russia have stood shoulder to shoulder and worked closely to combat “both the coronavirus and the political virus,” Wang said.
China and Russia should be each other’s strategic support, development opportunity, and global partner. This is both an experience gained from history and an imperative under the current circumstances, Wang said.
Facts have proved that the leadership of the Communist Party of China is the biggest political advantage of Chinese diplomacy and that leadership will offer fundamental support for China’s diplomatic agenda to keep securing more victories, Wang Yi said.
Wang said that China’s diplomacy is a people-oriented diplomacy led by the Chinese Communist Party who sets the direction for China’s diplomatic agenda.
The original inspiration and mission of the Chinese Communist Party – to seek happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation — determines the responsibility of China’s diplomacy, he said.
And as for recent actions to curtail democracy in Hong Kong: “Any country in the world will take allegiance to the motherland as a basic political ethic that must be observed by public officials or those who run for public posts.”
Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China. One cannot talk about loving Hong Kong without loving its motherland, he said, adding that love for the country and for Hong Kong is completely consistent.
Hong Kong enjoyed no democracy during colonial rule. Since its return to the motherland 24 years ago, no one is more concerned about Hong Kong’s democratic development and wishes Hong Kong to remain prosperous and stable than the central government, he said.
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