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R 020751Z AUG 06
FM AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0000
INFO CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
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RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI

UNCLAS GUANGZHOU 025214 
 
SIPDIS 
 
USPACOM FOR FPA 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM SOCI PGOV CH
SUBJECT: BEATING AROUND THE BUSH: STRATEGIES FOR WRITING 
ABOUT POLITICS IN A PROGRESSIVE CHINESE MAGAZINE 
 
REF: A) GUANGZHOU 20891; B) GUANGZHOU 20890; C) GUANGZHOU 
 
18191 
 
(U) THIS MESSAGE IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED.  PLEASE 
HANDLE ACCORDINGLY. 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: AN EXAMINATION OF THE EDITORIALS IN RECENT 
ISSUES OF "CITIZEN" ("SHIMIN"), A POLITICALLY PROGRESSIVE 
MAGAZINE THAT WAS STARTED LAST FEBRUARY (REFS A, B AND C), 
REVEALS A ROUNDABOUT STRATEGY FOR DISCUSSING SENSITIVE 
POLITICAL ISSUES IN CHINA.  THOUGH IT IS OF COURSE EXTREMELY 
RISKY TO ADDRESS FUNDAMENTAL, OVERARCHING PROBLEMS OF THE 
CHINESE POLITICAL SYSTEM DIRECTLY, SUCH AS THE LACK OF 
FREEDOM OF SPEECH, "CITIZEN"'S EDITORIALS USUALLY MENTION 
THESE ISSUES IN SEEMINGLY UNRELATED CONTEXTS.  BY DOING SO, 
THE WRITERS ARE ABLE TO INVOKE SENSITIVE TOPICS WHILE 
APPEARING TO WRITE ABOUT SEPARATE ISSUES. 
 
THE INDIRECT APPROACH 
---------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THIS TYPE OF WRITING IS THE 
EDITORIAL IN THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OF "CITIZEN" (JUNE 2006). 
ENTITLED "IDEAL HOUSING IN AN OPEN SOCIETY" ("KAIFANG SHEHUI 
DE JUZHU LIXIANG"), THE AUTHOR DISCUSES VARIOUS HOUSING 
CONCERNS: A PERSON CANNOT CRITICIZE THE HOUSING CHOICES OF 
ANOTHER; ONE HAS A RIGHT TO LIVE NEXT TO CIVILIZED 
NEIGHBORS; THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD CREATE PLEASANT LIVING 
SITUATIONS, ETC.  THE ARTICLE GOES ON TO ARGUE THAT PEOPLE 
DON'T SIMPLY NEED A PHYSICAL PLACE TO LIVE; THEY NEED A 
BETTER COMMUNITY AND A CIVILIZED COUNTRY IN WHICH TO LIVE. 
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE EDITORIAL, AN IMAGINARY CONVERSATION 
TAKES PLACE IN WHICH AN AVERAGE CITIZEN ANSWERS QUESTIONS 
ABOUT HIS HOUSING IDEALS: HE DESIRES A HOUSE THAT WON'T FALL 
DOWN, AND A FRIENDLY, OPEN COMMUNITY, IN A CITY WITH 
SUITABLE SCENERY.  IN ADDITION, HE WANTS "TO LIVE IN A 
NATION THAT ARDENTLY LOVES FREEDOM AND STRONGLY RESPECTS 
CULTURE." FREEDOM AND CULTURE SEEM TO HAVE LITTLE TO DO WITH 
HOUSING, YET THE AUTHOR INCLUDES THEM ANYWAY AS FUNDAMENTAL 
ELEMENTS OF AN IDEAL HOUSING SITUATION. 
 
¶3. (SBU) ANOTHER GOOD ILLUSTRATION OF THIS TYPE OF 
ROUNDABOUT APPROACH TO POLITICAL ISSUES IS THE EDITORIAL IN 
THE APRIL ISSUE OF "CITIZEN." THE EDITORIAL, OSTENSIBLY 
ABOUT ECONOMIC ISSUES, ARGUES THAT MONOPOLIES SHOULD BE 
DISSOLVED IN INDUSTRIES SUCH AS HEALTH CARE, EDUCATION, REAL 
ESTATE, RAILROADS, PETROLEUM, AIRLINES, AND EVEN BUTCHERY. 
IN THE FINAL PARAGRAPH, HOWEVER, THE AUTHOR DEPARTS FROM 
MERELY ECONOMIC ISSUES TO SAY: 
 
"TO STRIVE FOR UNIVERSAL RIGHTS IS THE ONLY WAY TO GET RID 
OF PRIVILEGES. THAT MEANS WE MUST ESTABLISH A SYSTEM THAT 
ALLOWS PEOPLE TO VOICE THEIR PAIN; WE MUST ESTABLISH AN 
INCENTIVE POLICY WHICH FORCES THE GOVERNMENT TO PAY 
ATTENTION TO PEOPLE'S LIVELIHOOD. CITIZENS' PARTICIPATION, 
DEMOCRATIC POLICY-MAKING, AND SUPERVISION BY THE MASSES ARE 
ALL VITAL FORCES IN COUNTERING MONOPOLIES.  ONE PIECE OF 
COMMON SENSE IS THAT ONE FREEDOM (CITIZENS' FREEDOM TO 
PARTICIPATE IN PUBLIC POLICY-MAKING) WOULD HELP REALIZE 
ANTHER FREEDOM (FREEDOM OF OPEN MARKET AND ECONOMIC 
FREEDOM)." 
 
IN THIS EDITORIAL, THEN, THE AUTHOR'S TOPIC IS SUPERFICIALLY 
AN ECONOMIC ONE: MONOPOLIES.  HOWEVER, BY DISCUSSING NOTIONS 
SUCH AS "CITIZENS' PARTICIPATION" AND "DEMOCRATIC POLICY- 
MAKING," THE AUTHOR SUCCEEDS IN REFERRING TO SENSITIVE 
POLITICAL ISSUES WITHIN A SAFER EDITORIAL CONTEXT. 
 
TREATING THE SYMPTOMS 
--------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) "CITIZEN"'S EDITORIAL WRITERS USUALLY CHOOSE TO 
WRITE ABOUT TOPICS THAT THEY BELIEVE ARE DIRECTLY CAUSED BY 
WHAT THEY REFER TO AS THE LACK OF FREEDOM IN CHINA.  BY 
ADDRESSING THESE MORE SPECIFIC PROBLEMS, THEY HOPE TO "TQAT 
THE SYMPTOMS" OF THIS LACK OF FREEDOM.  AN INTELLECTUAL WHO 
IS INVOLVED WITH "CITIZEN" RECENTLY WROTE AN E-MAIL TO 
CONGENOFFS THAT INCLUDED THIS STATEMENT: "ALTHOUGH WE CAN 
NOT OVERTLY SAY THAT THE REGIME IS THE TROUBLE MAKER, WE CAN 
TELL THE PUBLIC FRANKLY WHAT TROUBLES THE REGIME HAS BROUGHT 
TO US." HE EXPLAINED OUTRIGHT THE STRATEGY OF "CITIZEN" IN 
BRINGING ABOUT POLITICAL CHANGE: DISCUSSING PROBLEMS IN 
CHINA WITHOUT DIRECTLY MENTIONING THE CAUSE OF THOSE 
PROBLEMS. 
 
COMMENT 
 
------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) BY APPROACHING SENSITIVE ISSUES IN A ROUNDABOUT 
MANNER, "CITIZEN"'S EDITORS AND WRITERS ARE CLEARLY TRYING 
TO GET AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE TO THEM WITHOUT CROSSING THE 
SOMETIMES MURKY LINE OF WHAT IS ACCEPTABLE AND WHAT IS NOT. 
THE STRATEGY OF ASSOCIATING CONCEPTS SUCH AS "FREEDOM" AND 
"DEMOCRACY" WITH MORE EVERYDAY PROBLEMS LIKE HOUSING AND 
MONOPOLIES ALSO CORRESPONDS TO THE EDITORS' GOAL OF "LAYING 
THE GROUNDWORK" FOR POLITICAL CHANGE IN CHINA, AS MENTIONED 
IN A PREVIOUS MEETING (REF C).  THESE EDITORIALS DO NOT 
MERELY DISCUSS THESE PROBLEMS; THEY DISCUSS THEM IN THE 
CONTEXT OF THE LARGER ISSUE OF THE LACK OF FREEDOM IN CHINA. 
IN THIS WAY, THE EDITORS MAY HOPE TO INCORPORATE THESE KINDS 
OF NOTIONS INTO EVERYDAY, FUNDAMENTAL THINKING, IN AN EFFORT 
TO MAKE THEM A PART OF NORMAL THOUGHT PROCESSES.  HOWEVER, 
TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN REACHING THE MASSES, THE READERSHIP OF 
"CITIZEN" WOULD HAVE TO INCREASE DRAMATICALLY.  END COMMENT. 
 
MARTIN