Sorry Brian

I didn't mean to offend you.

My main beef was with your generous comment about Rudd's positive(?) handling of Mr Hu's imprisonment.

I'm also conscious of the threat from MSS (Chinese security/intelligence). Even though I'm in Australia my OLO and other articles critical of Beijing have lead to:

- a Chinese student photographing my home (he must have travelled far because there are no tertiary Chinese student's like him anywhere near my area)

- Chinese "hackers" attempting to close down my blogger website.

- disruption of mailed hardcopy of several of my articles when sent to/from Hong Kong

- a former senior Australian diplomat to Beijing contacting me in an apparent attempt to steer me on Rudd's China path.

After what happened to Mr Hu there's no way I'm going to visit China or even Hong Kong.

China is a massive country that may well improve. However as its power increases its ability to stifle dissent and many other freedoms (on the mainland and overseas) appears to be increasing.

Pete

Hi Pete,

no worries, mate. I am walking a fine line here. Your comments on the snoops are spot-on. I endure the same cowardly behaviour this end.

How to cope?

Walk that fine line. To refuse to be intimidated. To be a good personal example of worthwhile western values wherever possible.

So I behave with respect, never talk about politics, and keep myself to myself. I am embedded in Chinese society.

But I notice everything (who is the spook?), and am becoming almost as good as the Chinese at reading between the lines.

And in the process, I am learning, really learning how this place ticks.

I hope that my experiences are useful for my countrymen who want to know more about this unruly giant, China.

Love it or hate it, we have to deal with it. The more we know about what China is really like, the better.

Cheers, Pete,
Brian

Thanks Brian

Hopefully as China becomes more powerful it will be more comfortable to accept diversity (racial, political and religious).

I think there's too high a proportion of tainted, US centric, business review style news reaching our shores. The growing trade and broader bilateral relationship mapped out even before Rudd (BR) makes objective reporting of the kind your doing all the more important.

Stay well

Regards

Pete