Chinese state media seemed to enjoy every minute of the chaos at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, calling the incident “a beautiful sight.”
The Chinese characterization of the events is likely in reference to a 2019 protest when Hong Kong pro-democracy protestors occupied the city’s seat of power on the Legislative council. In the days that followed, an estimated 2 million Hong Kong residents marched in a peaceful anti-government protest. Nancy Pelosi called the movement a “Beautiful sight to behold” and clearly Beijing didn’t forget as state-affiliated media captioned photos of the chaos at the Capitol as “real images of the most beautiful sight.”
China’s foreign media spokeswoman Hua Chunying defended the caption and commentary of the U.S. incident saying, “What words did they use about Hong Kong? What words are they using now? The mainstream media in the U.S. are condemning the incident, using words like ‘violence,’ ‘thugs,’ ‘extremists,’ and ‘disgrace.’ What words did they use to describe HK? ‘Beautiful sight,’ and ‘fighters of democracy,'” she said.
“This contrast in rhetoric as well as the reasons for it are thought-provoking and deserve serious and profound reflection,” Hua said. “We believe that Americans also want security and tranquility, especially in the context of the new pandemic, and we also hope that they could enjoy peace, stability and security as soon as possible.”
The Chinese defending Americans as they attempt to rise up against the U.S. government and partisan media? These really are strange times we are living in.
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