There is no need to dehumanize Chinese journalists

As a long-time China Daily columnist, I'm aware of people outside China frequently distorting and misinterpreting my views as representing those of the newspaper, the Chinese government or the Communist Party of China.

It's good to see my columns and my social media comments being quoted, but the distortions, whether intentional or otherwise, have often misled readers and viewers. People should be aware of the usual disclaimers, sometimes unwritten, when reading op-eds — the views expressed don't necessarily reflect those of the newspaper — or when checking my Twitter account which says the views are my own.

I decide the topic for my column myself every week and I don't remember the last time my editor killed one. As for my tweets, they are simply my immediate response to some news events.

This explanation may not convince everyone, especially those who have made it a habit of trying to smear the Chinese people, including Chinese journalists, by foolishly assuming that 1.4 billion people are all robots having an identical view on everything. That was surely the case when I was accidentally caught in the cross fire of the two parties in the United States.

When US President Joe Biden tweeted on July 2 urging companies running gas stations to reduce gas prices, I pointed out that capitalism is all about exploitation, something that he didn't believe till just last year.

Not for a moment did I think that such a spontaneous comment would trigger a storm, with dozens of conservative news outlets spinning the comment to suit their own goal. Some said China praises Biden while others claimed Biden was being trolled by the "Chinese state media".

"China, it's China that has Biden's back …," exclaimed Fox News anchor Anita Vogel. She resorted to fear-mongering to suggest Biden has close ties with China, something that is sadly, politically incorrect in the US and something that the two parties have exploited to attack each other.

I have criticized both parties when it comes to US foreign policy, especially regarding interventionism, bullying and double standard. I have criticized US domestic affairs, too, such as on the Supreme Court's ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, and on gun violence, racial tensions and dysfunctional Washington politics, which I closely observe as a correspondent in the US capital till a few years ago.

But it would be totally wrong for anyone to argue that I hate the US. No. I don't.

Despite my criticism, I appreciate many things in and about the US. They include the American people, the many friends I made during my stay there for 11 years, the wonderful host families who showed me the real America and some friends I still regard as my extended family.

They also include the generous private philanthropy that enabled me to get three journalism fellowships that opened my eyes to a lot of new things. I enjoyed the probably 1,000 seminars I attended organized by think tanks in Washington despite the often one-sided panels, especially those talks on China without any voice from China. The list is long.

And like other people in China and around the world, I am not a robot but an individual with my own feelings, my own views and my unique experiences. But often this is not how I have been received.

It is like Twitter labeling Chinese journalists' accounts, including mine, as "China state-affiliated media". If you like my China Daily articles that I have tweeted, it will pop up a reminder that it links to a Chinese state-affiliated media website, a discriminative Twitter policy that does not apply to Voice of America, NHK World and other media outlets which are fully funded by their governments.

All such dehumanizing and fear-mongering practices are big obstacles preventing China and the US to understand each other, something that is in need today more than ever.

The author is chief of China Daily EU Bureau based in Brussels. chenweihua@chinadaily.com.cn.