Lawmakers, political advisors demand foreign media to report China objectively
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Lawmakers and political advisors attending the ongoing parliamentary session in Beijing are demanding some foreign reporters not to sidetrack in reporting China, blaming them for being too eager to cover the so called "mass gatherings."
Jiang Shaogao, former vice editor-in-chief of People's Daily, said a handful of western media seemed to deliberately turn blind eyes on news reflecting the general trend of China's development, but focus on those running counter to the trend.
Jiang, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country's top advisory body, called for foreign media to watch China's development from a more objective angle, and to avoid stereotype and double standards.
"China has a different political system and ideological pattern, which should be respected," he said.
Ma Shengrong, former vice president of Xinhua News Agency, also a CPPCC member, said some foreign reporters might take advantage of the spotlight shed on the parliamentary session to ratchet up attention to some incidents. "Journalists should watch a nation's development against a broader backdrop, rather than focusing only on some trifles and magnifying them," he said.
The current unrest in the Middle East and North Africa might exert some influence on China, however, it definitely wouldn't be a serious problem, according to Ma.
"Majority of Chinese have fair observation and correct understanding, given China's fast economic growth, great improvements in people's lives and the government's emphasis on solving difficulties of ordinary people," said Ma.
"Some western media have always been reporting China in an unfair way based on their political stances," he said.
He added that the focal point of foreign media should be on China's social-economic development mapped out by the 12th Five-Year Program, rather than those "mass gatherings and demonstrations."
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