Journalism of Courage
The issue of incursion by Chinese troops into Depsang valley in Ladakh may have dominated news headlines in India over the past several days but it has not found much space in the media here.
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid8217;s visit to Beijing on May 9,which was announced by China yesterday,found a small mention in today8217;s edition of the state-run China Daily.
The news item titled,8221;Indian foreign minister to visit8221; appeared in the 8216;briefly8217; column in one of the inside pages of the paper.
The news item read,8221;Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid will make an official visit to China from May 9 to 10 as a guest of Foreign Minister Wang Yi,the Chinese Foreign Ministry said yesterday8221;. The Chinese government has been asserting that its troops have not violated Line of Actual Control LAC in erecting their tents at Daulat Beg Oldi sector.
Chinese leaders will meet Khurshid,and Wang will hold talks with his Indian counterpart,ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said. There was no mention of the purpose of Khurshid8217;s visit nor was anything written about the dispute over the presence of PLA troops in Depseng valley in Ladakh.
Today8217;s weekend edition of the state-run Global Times did not carry any news about the Indian Minister8217;s visit. When asked how China Radio International CRI was reporting about the incursion issue,its South Asia Centre Director Lou Hongbing evaded a direct reply and said that though there should not be any obstacle in terms of news,there will be no room for positive things if the negative aspect is reported.
8220;Objectivity and fairness are what we perceive in our reports. Both in India and China,there is information explosion. So there is every possibility of false,fake or negative news in the light of fierce competition. To promote friendship,we need to do something. There should not be any confusion among readers,listeners and viewers,8221; Lou told a group of visiting foreign journalists here.
8220;A good neighbour is much better than a decent relative. Our effort is to promote friendship between the two countries,8221; he said,adding Chinese reports are mainly derived from news appearing in Indian and Western media.
When asked about how he perceived Sino-India relations,particularly in the aftermath of the incursion issue,a senior journalist of CRI told PTI,8221;We haven8217;t had many reports about it in Chinese media. Whatever I have learnt is from the Indian media. Our governments are working together in taking bilateral relations forward8221;.
A couple of days ago,an editorial in the Global Times,an English-language daily under the People8217;s Daily,was critical of the Indian media saying it has 8220;continuously created trouble for the Sino-Indian relationship8221;.
8220;Indian media and Opposition politicians have been reporting that Chinese soldiers intruded on Indian-claimed territory and erected tents inside Indian borders. Such reports run along the same lines as those in 2009 that alleged Chinese soldiers had entered into India and painted the rocks with red spray paint,8221; the editorial said.
8220;Indian officials denied such reports eventually,though the case remains unsolved,8221; it said. 8220;The Indian government ought to clarify the so-called 8216;intrusion8217; in a timely way and assume the responsibility of maintaining a good atmosphere. However,it hasn8217;t done so.
It has remained silent and ambiguous,which indulges Indian media habits,8221; the editorial under the heading,8221;New Delhi bears brunt of border hysteria8221;,said.
Yesterday,while announcing about Khurshid8217;s trip,Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua had said that the two sides will have in-depth exchange of views on bilateral relations as well as issues of common interests. 8220;We would like to make joint efforts with India to boost China-India strategic cooperative partnership through this visit,8221; she said.
About the stand-off on presence of Chinese troops in Daulat Beg Oldi area in Ladakh,she had said,8221;While actively developing friendly cooperation,China and India are also committed to resolving disputes including the boundary ones through peaceful negotiations and try to ensure that this kind of disputes will not affect the development of the bilateral relations8221;.
Khurshid8217;s trip is expected to pave the way for the visit of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to India later this month. Li,who took over charge last month after the leadership change,wants India to be his first stop in his maiden foreign tour to signal China8217;s desire to deepen friendly relations with the country.
The Chinese government has also been urging the media to be patient and create favourable conditions for the two countries to solve this issue through friendly consultations.
