Jailing the Messengers
Next month, when jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo receives the Nobel Peace Prize, the world's attention will be drawn toward China's persistent official mistreatment of its most outspoken citizens. A Beijing court recently convicted another activist, one whose plight is just as troubling as Liu’s, and far more revealing of the boundaries of permissible dissent.
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WASHINGTON, DC – As China’s clout in global affairs grows, the world is watching more closely than ever to see what kind of great power it will become. Next month, when jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo receives the Nobel Peace Prize, attention will be drawn away from the more encouraging aspects of what China’s leaders like to call their country’s “rise,” and toward their persistent mistreatment of its most outspoken citizens. Already, Chinese officials’ ham-handed response to the award has undercut their cherished – and lavishly financed – mission to project China’s “soft power” around the globe.