DW: EU defends censorship of letter in Chinese newspaper
EU officials have backed a decision to accept China's censorship of a letter that ran in a Chinese newspaper. A sentence referencing China as the origin of the coronavirus outbreak was removed before publication.
The European Union on Thursday defended its decision to consent to Chinese censorship of a letter co-written by the bloc's 27 ambassadors, ahead of its publication in Chinese media.
The opinion piece appeared in China's English-language newspaper China Daily on Tuesday, but a sentence that linked the initial source of the coronavirus outbreak to China was removed.
The EU had raised "very serious concerns" about the request to censor the article. But it agreed to its publication as it meant the bloc could communicate with the Chinese audience on other key EU issues, such as climate change, human rights and the pandemic response, said EU foreign affairs spokesperson Virginie Battu-Henriksson in Brussels.
"China has state-controlled media. There is censorship, that's a fact," Battu-Henriksson said.
The EU, nevertheless, regretted that the article had not been published in full, she added.
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WNU Editor: This is what EU appeasement looks like when it comes to China. The proper course of action was to remove the letter, and to rebuke the Chinese government. Instead, a letter was published in the name of 27 EU ambassadors that referred to "human rights," but avoided mentioning Chinese internment camps in Xinjiang, crackdowns on pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong and the disappearance of whistleblowers. The complete letter is here .... EU-China ties vital amid global crisis (China Daily).
Update: EU ambassador to China criticizes the U.S. for current U.S.-China tensions .... EU ambassador to China says rising Sino-U.S. tensions not helpful (Reuters). More here .... U.S.-China tensions hurting global coronavirus response: EU diplomat (The Hill). With allies like this, who needs enemies. What the EU Ambassador and the EU as a whole should be demanding is that China be transparent on participating in an investigation/probe on the origins of the Coronavirus pandemic. 150,000+ Europeans have died because of this pandemic, and China's refusal to participate in this investigation needs to be roundly condemned.
More News On Beijing Censoring EU Ambassador's Letter To A Chinese Newspaper
Coronavirus: EU regret after state-run newspaper China Daily removes COVID-19 mention from op-ed -- Euronews
EU Complains of Chinese Censorship After State Media Deletes Diplomats' Reference to Pandemic Origins -- Newsweek
E.U. defends handling of China relations after Beijing censors op-ed written by bloc’s ambassadors -- Washington Post
EU Officials' Opinion Piece In Chinese Newspaper Censored On Coronavirus Origin -- NPR
EU’s pivot to China falls foul of Beijing’s censors -- Politico
