Comments on: Should the Olympic torch-relay be cancelled?

By: Chen

Chen — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 13:51:30 +0000

YiLong
Thanks for the response. I fully respect your position which I think is very reasonable. Reasonable people can disagree on important issues such as Taiwan which is charged with high emotions from both sides of the straight and further complicated by underlying struggle of different geo-political interests of many other countries. As for criticism, I think criticism should be always be welcomed if the criticism is founded on knowledge and true concerns of the warfare of the people, but not other unspoken motivations. On the other hand, the people who are being criticized should also be allowed to dispute the facts. I think we probable will agree on this. Thanks again for the response which made me want to learn more about Taiwan and the feelings of people living there.

By: YiLong

YiLong — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 01:19:41 +0000

To Chen,

yes, and I also have seen some Maps where Nanking/Nanjing is still the capital. And usually we laugh our heads off about that.
Apart of course of some old fools who still dream of going back to the “good old times”, but there are many voices who ask for a new (or at least amended) constitution, where issues like that would be changed. There is a little problem: Taiwan is not even allowed to talk about it, because Mainland China threatens with war and our “beloved big brother” – The USA – is supporting that by telling Taiwan: “no no, you cannot do that or you are being a bad boy”.

I am not even saying Taiwan is not a Chinese country or it should never become a part of China again. After all, also Germany was reunited again. But at this point it is another, independent country. And if it will be part of one big China, or an own country (no matter if Taiwan or Republic of China) that should be the decision of the people living here.

There is one other point I would like to make: if a country wants to play a (important) part in the global community, it also has to accept that it will be criticized, especially if its acts have an impact on this global community. Mainland China wants the rights, so it should learn to accept the responsibilities, and not always say: “you other countries do not understand China anyways and keep your nose out off our own issues.”

By: Chen

Chen — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 20:54:54 +0000

To YiLong:
“As half Taiwan-Chinese and half German, who has been living in Taiwan for many years” I am sure that you have looked at the map of the Republic of China (or Taiwan as you called it) which includes Tibet (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:ROC_Administrative_and_Claims.jpg). I assume you must be also familiar with the Constitution of the Republic of China (Taiwan) which lists Tibet as a part of China? Chapter III of the Constitution, The National Assembly, Article 26 states “The number of delegates to be elected from Tibet shall be prescribed by law;” (See the website of the office of the president at http://www.president.gov.tw/en/)

By: Chen

Chen — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:30:45 +0000

To Roberto
Probably, the reason you are “being relative to which side” I am on is “you cannot understand what you see?”

By: Chen

Chen — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:27:17 +0000

To Jack
You said “It makes no sense to have someone LIVING IN China talking about matters like Tibet or the uproar about the Olympic torch because even if they wanted to they would be unable to speak their mind.” Agree. The one billion people “LIVING IN china” should be excluded from this discussion. You made a very generous exception for “Chinese people living abroad” who are “believable.” But wait, from these “believable Chinese living abroad”, those “raised in China” and “brain-washed about things such as Tibet” should also be silenced.

Very good. Jack you have showed us the true meaning of freedom of speech. Unfortunately, I guess BBC will not adopt your suggestions as quickly as you’ve desired. I am betting on the odds that BBC will to keep a “un-believable Chinese living abroad + brain-washed” like me here to make this discussion look more credible, at least for a while.

Jack, you seem little impatient. But the good news is the time will come when all the “Chinese LIVING IN China” and all the Chinese “living abroad + brain-washed” will be banned from discussing issues concerning China on BBC as you suggested. Keep working on it.

By: Chen

Chen — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:10:01 +0000

To George USA
You said “Anything Chen says here from this point forward- you had better look it up.” Good. You finally start reading book titles (googled I assume?) instead “babbling.” But, why ask other people to “look it up” for you, would it better to check the facts in the book “in exile from the land of snow” yourself? It is interesting that you already know that I “ is making statements as fact with references that are not as he says” even though you haven’t read the book I referred to? You have some extraordinary skills.

You said you “was joking with him before, but no longer.” Thank you – I always had a suspicion that all you said here were jokes, and you finally confirmed it. To your credit, I did laugh a lot when reading your comments. So sad that you are not making jokes anymore. On the other hand,, I am glad you finally decided to stop babbling and to “grow up” yourself. I shall expect your future comments to be much better than your previous jokes.

You said “Satire is the operative word. Look it up.” Well, you have already explained very well how satire “operates” by your jokes/comments.

By: Sadjere

Sadjere — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:34:34 +0000

i forsee a situation where the coming olympics to be held in china will be marred by violent protest, and the essence and spirit of the olympics which is to unify nations, will then be defeated.
The Tibetians have a valid reason to protest, but using the olympics as a platform to my own opinion is not the best and only option available.
It will only lead to more deaths and repression from the chinese, who may feel that Tibets are trying to spoil all they’ve laboured for to show case to the world.
Please Tibetians, shield your sword and Tread the path of Peace.
Even the Dalai Lama desires peace and not violence.

By: YiLong

YiLong — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:28:17 +0000

I don’t think the torch relay should be canceled because it provides an opportunity to voice protests and criticism against Mainland China.
I strongly hope the demonstrators will stay away from violence though – apart from the fact that I condemn violence, I have two more reasons for this point of view. First the torch bearers are the wrong target for violence and secondly it is plain stupid. At this point the whole world (ok most of it) supports Tibet and I believe the Tibet supporters could gather even more support if they conducted their protests on a violence free basis (didn’t we just commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King?) but if the violence continues and increases, this positive sentiment for Tibet could change in a heartbeat.
But for me it is nice to see that there are finally some (international) voices against China. For too long all the “democracy promoting” countries (USA, Germany, France, UK, etc.) have let Mainland China get away with everything. As half Taiwan-Chinese and half German, who has been living in Taiwan for many years, I have been watching, how all these countries claim that the most important good were democracy and human rights and at the same time allow Mainland China (far away from being a democracy) to bully Taiwan (a fully developed though perhaps still chaotic because young democracy). Taiwan’s (or REPUBLIC OF CHINA) president has hard times to visit other countries because Mainland China is crying foul. Taiwan as an independent country (it has its own democratic government, an own army, and fulfills all the conditions of an independent country) cannot become member of the WHO or the UN, because the the western countries let Mainland China get away with insisting on their self-claimed right to control Taiwan.
Tibet is one issue which should not be ignored, but China has many more, and even though I think many of the demonstrators, who voice their support for Tibet now, are not really familiar with all the other problems in China (Taiwan, XinJiang,..) I am happy with any criticism against the regime in Mainland China, because it gives hope that the global population will also be more aware of Taiwan’s situation and more supportive of Taiwan.

By: Stephen

Stephen — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 08:29:17 +0000

What in god’s name are you smoking? Your comments are about as comprehensible as what these people disrupting the Olympic Torch Relay are trying to achieve.

By: Cartwright

Cartwright — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 06:23:15 +0000

The Chinese government should not have undertaken an event for foreighn consumption without ensuring they’d a cinematographer as good as Leni Riefenstahl.