By JAVIER C. HERNÁNDEZ in The New York Times online, Aug 17, 2017
BEIJING — A video produced by China’s state-run news media that features racist stereotypes of Indians has come under fire, adding to tensions between China and India as the two countries struggle to resolve a simmering border standoff.
The English-language video, published by Xinhua, the official news agency of China’s central government, attempts to use humor to discredit India’s contention that China is not the rightful owner of a strategic stretch of land in the Himalayas.
The three-minute clip offers stereotypes, stilted jokes and canned laughter, using a scissors-wielding man with a fake beard and a turban to represent India. He is shown at various points snoring loudly, waving his arms in fear and using scissors to threaten a man representing a neighboring country, Bhutan.
“Didn’t your mama tell you, ‘Never break the law?’” an announcer says in the video, which is titled, “The Spark: 7 Sins of India.”
Indian commentators denounced the video on Thursday, calling it an insult to India.
“It’s not a very good or tasteful attempt at humor,” said Ajai Shukla, a retired army colonel in New Delhi. “It seems imbued with racism and jingoism.”
Ananth Krishnan, a China correspondent for India Today, said in a Twitter post that the video was “shocking.”
Calls to the Indian Embassy in Beijing on Thursday were not answered.
At a daily news briefing on Thursday in Beijing, Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said she had not seen the Xinhua video and could not comment.
The standoff between China and India, one of the most serious border disputes in decades, began two months ago, when India sent troops to halt Chinese efforts to build a road on the Doklam Plateau, a mountainous area where China, India and Bhutan meet. India does not claim the land but says it is acting on behalf of Bhutan, a close ally.
Experts have warned that the diplomatic tussle between the world’s two most-populous nations could still escalate, even though the possibility of armed conflict remains unlikely.
The Xinhua video, published on Wednesday, is the latest in a series of government-sponsored videos aimed at younger audiences. Hoping to move away from the dull propaganda of an earlier era, the ruling Communist Party has in recent years turned to rap songs, animations and comedy skits to convey talking points. But many of those forays have been criticized as strained and over the top.
In the style of Western shows that satirize the news, the Xinhua video features animations, sound effects and an energetic host, identified as Dier Wang. It describes the seven offenses that China believes India has committed, including trespassing, violating international law, “confusing right and wrong” and “putting blame on victim.”
Daniel C. Lynch, a professor of Asian and international studies at the City University of Hong Kong, said the video seemed aimed at reinforcing stereotypes that claim India is “backward, disorganized and irrational” compared with China. But he said the effort would most likely backfire among a global audience.
“It really looks bad for China,” he said. “It’s a terrible piece of propaganda.”https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/17/world/asia/china-india-racist-video-border-standoff.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fasia
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