China is Moving In

Two issues have led me to this post today:
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,25814479-913,00.html
which details the investment of a large Chinese company in two South Australian mines, and
http://www.theage.com.au/national/china-pulls-films-out-of-festival-20090721-ds2a.html
which describes the pulling out of three Chinese films from the Melbourne International Film Festival because of the inclusion of a fourth film about Uyghur leader Rebiya Kadeer.
Supplementary to these is another issue that's been floating around,
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-07/13/content_8421122.htm
a Chinese businessman's full purchase of a British satellite TV station.

What we're seeing, and have been seeing for a few years now is China's expansion into the world. The Chinese government's foreign policies certainly stand out against European and Western ways. Some might say they are very sensitive, often demanding apologies or changes to events and schedules outside of their own country. There have always been certain naming demands placed upon organisers of the Olympics, forcing competitor countries' names to be changed to reflect the deigning of the PRC. Awards given to celebrated figures are often rebuffed and complained about if their achievements conflict with China's values. And then there's Tibet. I personally applaud countries and organisations that ignore China's outcries and do what's right for those being honoured, because even though our planet is becoming more of a global community, thus giving everyone the right to speak up, it still means that individual states play a major role in fostering and protecting their own cultures. Those cultures and the values inherent therein cannot be forced onto other nations.

It's this belief that has me alarmed when I see the Chinese pulling their films out of MIFF. It shows an ugly lack of tolerance and reveals a rather forceful agenda that can only end in confrontation. As Chinese interests start to expand out of their country due to the fervent embrace of capitalism (at the expense of an increasingly enslaved populace), Australia in particular welcome our neighbour's larger role in trade. However, there is an obvious concern that the Chinese way may be channelled through these trading avenues, in a way that more conspiratorial minds might see as subversive cultural attack.

The Onion have demonstrated their concerns with their rather vicious satirical attack on the expansion of Chinese business into western media, and while there are hints of an alarmist response, the point is not lost on those who watch with a keen interest as the last great Red state starts to play a greater role in the world and rises as the new superpower. Rivalries are imminent and if the early indicators are the sign of a trend, I fear that confrontation (most likely with the United States) is inevitable. It's a scary, interesting, but maybe hopeful time.