International Law

China Hands Out Its Own Peace Prize to Lien Chan

Chinese officialdom continues to thrash wildly in response to the award of the Nobel Prize to a Chinese lawyer/activist, Liu Xiaobo, currently incarcerated. Among the thrashings: threats to foreign governments, increased surveillance and punishments of those with some connection to Liu, an apparent renewed effort to censor Internet postings, etc. All of this one would expect.

"?????????(We will have our own prize!)" some high-ranking cadre must have exclaimed, pounding his fist on the table, as his note-taking staff suddenly came to life and began writing, while exclaiming, "????????(Excellent idea, sir!)" And thus was born -- in my imagination, but probably accurately dreamed -- the Confucius Prize, awarded just the other day to Lien Chan (??), a senior Taiwanese KMT pol for whom very few native Taiwanese ????- as opposed to Mainlanders ????? -- have much love.

[That an authoritarian Chinese government nominally calling itself Communist would name its prize after the ancient philosopher, when its founders spat on his ideals, is interesting in and of itself. The popular interest in and even veneration of Confucius has returned somewhat over the past 30 years. But Confucius was not a peacemaker - he was an itinerant political consultant who sold his ideas and methods to rulers, so that they might govern with greater authority. My own prediction is that will see in China within a generation, if not earlier, peace prizes issued by the central government celebrating Chinese Buddhist ideals.]

But mainland authorities really like Lien. And so they have given him its very own peace prize. Lien's office has denied hearing of the award.

I write this only to set up for you the patent hilarity of this episode, as indicated by this quote:

However, the man chosen for the newly created honor seemed baffled by it. On Wednesday, Lien's office in Taipei said he had no plans to travel to Beijing because he knew nothing about the award. Instead, a young girl came forward to accept the award and money on his behalf. It is not known what connection if any she had with Lien.

She had no connection to Lien, of course, and gave the $15,000 right back its grantors, into whose pockets it went. Some fellows must have had a rousing night out.

UPDATE (12/10/10): At the very end of this Reuters video, you will see the little girl, about 7 years old, holding the gift-wrapped box intended to represent the prize. Look at her expression -- she is unsmiling and perplexed. They didn't prepare her at all, did they? "What's going on? Is this for me?" she seems to wonder.

Full post as published by Asia Business Intelligence on December 09, 2010 (boomark / email).