China Spins, World Applies PRessure
April 15, 2008 by Eric Eggertson
Filed under Marketing
A student of public relations can see a belligerent pattern in the Chinese government’s reputation defence during the past year.
Accusation: producing unsafe products
Defence: blame sloppy manufacturing specs provided by clients.
Accusation: human rights abuses in Tibet
Defence: allege Dalai Lama’s of conspiracy to cause deaths of ethnic Chinese
Tactic: Olympic Torch Relay protests
Defence: glorify noble athletes standing up to rude, violent protesters
Paradoxically, what is a PR disaster for China’s international reputation is turning into a rallying cry for nationalist sentiment in the world’s most populous country.
China is right about one thing: there is a conspiracy to shame them during their attempt at Olympic glory.
China is trying to enter the 20th century, reluctantly accepting a certain amount of public scrutiny. What is missing in the escalating round of human rights protests against the emerging superpower is the requisite face-saving option.
What action are critics hoping to see, in response to the protests?
If any lessons have been learned over the years of transition from hostile to friendly relations with China, it’s that China will act like a caged animal if left no option to save face.
I suspect Chinese leaders will continue to pour tremendous energy into their propaganda machine at home, while trying to show a public face to the world that resists criticism without being seen to brutally crack down on protests. The security thugs surrounding the Olympic torch are a far cry from the tanks that rumbled into Tiananmien Square, killing democracy advocates.
That’s progress, I guess.
I sometimes tell people that if the operations are not on the ball, no amount of communications will help.
I guess the Chinese government’s version of that would be that if you’re violating human rights, no full-colour glossy ad will help.
All the world’s attention on China political views, even the attention that PR has given to it, may help to reach a balance between China’s narrow-minded view and Tibet’s claim of freedom.
Megan and Mariana:
I think one of the Chinese points of view on this is that the leaders want to make changes on their timeline in a manner of their choosing.
That’s unrealistic, if they also want to be the manufacturer of choice for billions of people around the world.
I just don’t see the current leaders buckling under to pressure in a big way. I suspect they will look for all sorts of small ways to show they are changing their hard-line ways, but will resist to the end of their political careers any attempts to interfere with their domestic policies and with their approach to Tibet and Taiwan.