NathanC I couldn’t agree more China is changing at impressive rate and certainly for the better. besides if you want you could pick holes in any government by its very nature, unfortunately for China its success has dragged it into the limelight and will have to forgo the perils of fame. I'm am ashamed that the west is not as Hospitable to the Chinese as they have always been to me. In the west we don't leave the politics to the professionals and any old idiot can have a go, No offence Mr Brown.

NathanC >>"Western media is not restricted by government like China. However it is driven by looking for sales points which could lead more revenue." ...<<

You absolutely underestimate the west media and some west govt, at the same time, you also underestimate the China and Chinese people, quite frankly, although you are Chinese.

"What to do about Tibet?" If you want the answer, you have to look beyond the current affair. It is not the point of media fairness. It is the global power struggle. Even the Tibetan riot is just part of the PLOT.

Actually, Chinese govt and Chinese people kept alert on west media, or west govt indeed, but they are waked up by manipulated Tibet riot. They are not alert enough. So, they concluded: give up illusion, prepare confronting.

I am a bit surprised that China has developped to a stage that some west powers want to destabilize China urgently.

It is also a natural scenario which welcomed by most of the world. Other major power/area such as middle east, Russia, Africa all welcome the confrontment between China and west, or China shares more responsibility to balance west powers. Of course, it is Japanese best wishes if there is a war between USA and China.

So, do not angry, keep calm, all these incidents actually are natural certain choice of the current world.

NathanC & Photojack

Thanks, I think the current attitude of the west as reflected in the media is appalling. Xiaosui just asks, why? As one respondent said, it will only make the Chinese peoples support the government and unite against such blatant hostility. Even Kevin Rudd is being forced to pander to the ‘noise’, it seems.

It seems we just can’t shake those colonialist attitudes, and/or, I suspect there is a tinge of fear that the yellow peril will finally come and get us. I shake my head.

Romany, if you read this – thanks for your comment in the other Article. I never was good at learning when to stop

As the writer admits, China has been building its empire for thousands of years, and its people understandably have developed a strongly imperialist mind-set; after all, as G.B. Shaw pointed out, the policy of robbing Peter to pay Paul usually has the full support of Paul. The sense of outrage at Tibetan unrest and Olynpic protests is reminiscent of British outrage at Irish demands for independence, or Belgian outrage at the Congo's, or South African outrage at Namibia's, Portuguese at Mozambique and Angola's, etc. etc. etc. Ho bloody hum. So think all imperialists.

The marriage of a daughter of a Tibetan king surely, if anything, holds the king hostage as surely as putting him in the emperor's dungeon, so let's not go on about eternal friendship and mutual love.

History has been far more up and down, even for the Chinese Empire - both Tibet and Turkestan have had long periods of what we might call independence, long periods under a range of outside invaders, such as the Han Chinese, the Mongols, incursions from Persians, Kazakhs, long periods of civil war, until the Chinese 'finally' conquered them in the nineteenth century (at least up to the 1911 Revolution, forty and fifty years later) followed by forty years of independence. But to claim some five thousand years of unbroken imperialist control of these vast lands is drawing a bit of a long bow.

People have the right to choose self-determination and/or independence, the Irish, the Khoisan, the Bolivians, the Inuit, the Maori, and the people of Turkestan, Tibet and Taiwan, the Aboriginal people across Australia. But the price is standing on their own feet, sacrificing any benefits from the colonial masters or central powers in exchange for the freedom to run their own affairs. The Tibetan people should have the right to choose, just as the Aboriginal people here should. I would suggest that while the Tibetan people (or people in Turkestan) would choose freedom, the Aboriginal people would choose the security of a constant flow of benefits from the Canberra. That would be their choice.

Loudmouth

People have the right to choose self-determination and/or independence in proper way. Killing should not be allowed. If you are able to look at the entire event, the mobs started it with killing innocent people. If Aboriginal people of Australia to claim their right in such way, would you still agree and give your understanding?

Another question, who should represent of Tibetans. Is it Dailai Lama or Tibetans people who are current living in Tibet. West people should go there to listen their voice if they want to give their judgments. Photojack who has been there. He should know more about it. Some western supporters in Paris and Landon who even can not point out where Tibet is on a map. How people can believe their suggestion is good for Tibet and Tibetans.

Aboriginal people of Australia won the understanding and supporting from majority of Australians. They finally got their rights/apologies last year. Please note the happy ending is not achieved in one day. Could you give China time to do it as well?

People who is seeking independent or self-determination should go back to China. They would be successful if you can gain understanding and support of local people. I could not trust some people who claim their rights in China when they are drinking a beer in overseas. It is same to Aboriginal of Australia.

Hi Nathan,

Yes. But would they ? My wife is Indigenous, and over forty years, I have not really seen any enthusiasm for unfunded independence. We went to live in a 'community' for four years in the seventies, packed in our jobs, packed up the kids, and off - and all because we fervently believed in self-determination. More fools us.

But it was put to the vote - at every ATSIC election. In Adelaide, only 7 % of the adult population even bothered to vote at some ATSIC elections, so where is the enthusiasm ? It's not really a goer, except as a sort of rhetorical bogey-man to scare the white middle-classes.

But it does appear to have more support in Tibet, total independence, undunded, entirely on their own. Different ball game, Nathan.

Joe