Chinese Regime Downplays News of Egyptian Revolution

The world watched as Egyptians celebrated the fall of former president Hosni Mubarak after his 30-year dictatorship. Their joy was shared by many around the world. But in China, the news was subdued, with state-run media downplaying Mubarak’s ousting.

[Hu Shigeng, Chinese Democracy Activist]:
„Most ordinary citizens don’t know the details. The information has been blocked inside China, so the people still don’t know.“

Egyptians protested for 18 days over corruption, the poor economy, unemployment, and the suppression of dissents under Mubarak’s dictatorship.

In China, state-run media made brief mentions of Mubarak’s ousting, but did not discuss why Egyptians protested. On Saturday, state-run China Daily published an editorial calling for stability and normal order Egypt. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ma Zhaoxu echoed that in a statement later in the day.

Chinese authorities have also moved to silence the public reaction to the Egyptian revolution.

[Zu Yufu, Chinese Democracy Activist]:
„Yesterday (Saturday) we wanted to celebrate what happened in Egypt. Some people prepared banners and wanted to celebrate on the street. Security guards arrested the seven of us.“

One commentator from Taiwan National Chengchi University says the Communist regime is acting this way because it fears the stability of its own dictatorship.

[Jaushieh Joseph Wu, International Relations Researcher, Taiwan National Chengchi University]:
„China is very similar to Egypt in a few ways: unequal wealth distribution, the corruption of the Chinese government, media control and the persecution of dissidents. These are similar to Egypt. If the Egyptians can revolt and topple an unpopular leader, the same may happen in China in the future.“

On the Internet, while many Chinese have congratulated the Egyptians on their uprising, Chinese authorities are attempting to disrupt that discussion, blocking search terms like „Egypt“ and „Mubarak.“

Foto: NTDTV