Foreign journalists covering China's party congress were surprised by the fact that one of their number was called to ask a question. That rarely, if ever, happens.
They were even more surprised when the young Australian correspondent, Andrea Yu, was invited to speak more than once in the Great Hall of the People. And eyebrows were also raised by the ordinariness of her questions.
Example: "Please tell us, what policies and plans the Chinese government will be implementing in cooperation with Australia?"
Behind this soft question, it emerged, was an example of Chinese soft power. Though Ms Yu said she worked for the Melbourne-based Global CAMG Media Group, it transpired that the company is controlled by Chinese Radio International (CRI), which is the Chinese state's external propaganda station.
When that fact emerged, other journalists decided to ask Yu some questions of their own, including Australian Broadcasting's Stephen McDonnell (full 8 minutes here).
McDonnell asks: "Is it a little disingenuous for you to be up here… with the appearance of being an independent international journalist when really you're working for a Chinese company?"
Yu: "Yes, that's a good question. It is interesting, and a lot of people have asked me about that. The fact is, I chose to be employed by them, and I'm representing their company."
It soon became clear, as McDonnell gently probed her, that the naive Yu, who had worked for CAMG for barely a month, was something of a stooge. Her replies to his questions were touchingly artless.
At one point, McDonnell points out that the Chinese politburo members have been calling on her to speak because they know she will ask them easy questions. Yu replies: "I think that's part of it, yes."
McDonnell then asks: "Here's the Chinese government, they're inviting someone up here, they know you're working essentially for them and you're asking them questions about their own performance. Isn't that right?"
Yu replies: "I really don't know if I can answer that question accurately, the way you're wanting me to answer it."
McDonnell asks her if her work is "real journalism" and she says she is new to the "game" and learning as she goes. So he then wonders if she is being used by the Chinese government.
She responds by talking airily about her "challenging" difficulties in the job and that she is unsure how long she will continue to do it.
At the conclusion of the interview, Yu seems to be more aware of her role by saying: "Certainly, spreading Chinese government soft power around the world via avenues like this is very important to the government."
Sources: ABC/Wall Street Journal/Shanghaiist/The Guardian/Wikipedia
Comments