By Martin Fletcher, NBC News Correspondent: China organizes hasty retreat from Libya

[cross1993]

World Blog - China organizes hasty retreat from Libya

VALLETTA, Malta – How things have changed. When the 2004 tsunami hit the Indian Ocean, America sent the Seventh Fleet of the U.S. Navy to help evacuees. China sent a cargo ship.

Now to evacuate American workers from the crisis in Libya, America sent a chartered ferry too small to ride the rough seas of the Mediterranean.

China chartered a giant ocean cruise ship, 20 civilian aircraft, four military aircraft and moved 35,860 of its citizens out of danger in Libya as of Wednesday, within a week of starting the process, according to the Chinese foreign minister.

I’m thinking of the comparison as I wait for my plane in Malta, one of the evacuation hubs. Lined up in complete silence and total order are hundreds of Chinese workers wearing red caps, obeying ladies holding up red and yellow Chinese flags like any tour group at the Vatican. They follow instructions, wait in long lines, and shuffle forward when told. On command, a long single file strides through the concourse like an unstoppable column of ants. I am reminded of the 1927 German movie Metropolis.

What a difference. Not one is wearing headphones or playing with a telephone or digital device. They are all slim and fit, no sign of impending obesity. Their bags are bound with cellophane. Some are still in their orange work suits and carrying orange hardhats. They were working in Libya’s oil, rail, construction and telecommunications industries.

China’s government chartered a fleet of planes to carry them to Shanghai. Quietly, effectively, without fuss, China is evacuating all its workers to safety. It is the silent contract between state and worker: You work abroad, we’ll look after you.

China’s People’s Daily boasted that it was the “largest and most complicated overseas evacuation ever conducted by the Chinese government.” And China’s foreign minister gave credit for the speedy and efficient evacuation to “China's peaceful foreign policy, which makes China a popular country in the community of nations.”

There are an estimated 50,000 Chinese workers in Nigeria, 35,000 in Sudan, 40,000 in Zambia, 30,000 in Angola, 20,000 in Algeria and thousands more dotted around the African continent. They are the face of Chinese industry, investment, diplomacy and eventually, power.

But what strikes me is the efficiency and order and calm. Nobody was arguing with the airline staff, objecting to orders, struggling with too many bags and bulky packages. Rather just a line of calm, single men with small cases, waiting patiently to be told what to do and where to go.

It occurred to me, is this the future?

China has invested heavily in Africa while the West turned elsewhere, and Chinese companies are spreading rapidly and silently through Latin America, too. Their insatiable appetite for coal, copper, bauxite, oil, iron ore and almost every other mineral is leading them on an economic conquest like no other. Their workers lead the rush, and their government spreads its wings to protect them, wherever they are.

As 200 men lined up in a silent single file that snaked through duty-free, with nobody eyeing all the luxuries on display, waiting for a man with a Chinese flag to raise his arm and tell them to move, I didn’t know whether to be filled with admiration or trepidation.

I did think, we better keep them on our side.

 

[Aramsogo]

This piece is filled with lots of subtle racism and unflattering code words for Chinese people. Martin Fletcher, I can guess his background without Googling.

 

[CardSharp]

This piece is filled with lots of subtle racism and unflattering code words for Chinese people. Martin Fletcher, I can guess his background without Googling.

There you have the mixture of fear and contempt dominating the American political consciousness.

 

[Solomon2]

There you have the mixture of fear and contempt dominating the American political consciousness.

Where is there contempt? I read fear and admiration for China, and embarrassment for America.

 

[Aramsogo]

There you have the mixture of fear and contempt dominating the American political consciousness.

Martin Fletcher is using the same propaganda techniques Hitler used on his people. Hitler portrayed Fletcher's race as subhuman rats right before he marched them into the gas chambers and into the ovens. This a$$ actually calls Chinese people a "column of ants" and portrays them as subhuman automatons. Yes, Mr. Fletcher, Chinese construction workers don't shop at the Duty-Free Bulgari store at the airport. Last time I checked, neither did American nor Israeli construction workers. How about talking to a few of the Chinese people next time?? The funny thing is Americans actually believe they have a free press.

 

[CardSharp]

Where is there contempt? I read fear and admiration for China, and embarrassment for America.

I meant in general but he does make Chinese people sound like sheep just because they don't argue with the check in lady at the airport.

You're so used to hearing Chinese people described this way (communism) you probably don't notice the condescending "only we are individuals" narrative.

 

[Solomon2]

I meant in general but he does make Chinese people sound like sheep just because they don't argue with the check in lady at the airport.

I think he is praising the Chinese for their good manners compared to others. Note his praise for Chinese efficiency.

 

[cross1993]

Where is there contempt? I read fear and admiration for China, and embarrassment for America.

This article allowed me to see Pride and Prejudice.

 

[zoochee]

I think if Mr. Fletcher happened to see a group of Borg evacuating from Libya he could have made exactly the same observation and came to the conclusion of "we better keep them on our side" before they assimilate us all

Joke aside I was very happy with Chinese government's efficiency in this evacuation, and this is how tax money is suppose to be spent.

 

[asianamerican]

This is very typical white man's point of view. If you lived in the US, you would know how the mainstream America see Asian people, especially Chinese. I think most white man are blinded by their arrogance so they can't see beyond their own Eurocentric point of view. Worst, non-white keep giving an ear to these people allowing them to spew more of the venoms.

 

[CardSharp]

This is very typical white man's point of view. If you lived in the US, you would know how the mainstream America see Asian people, especially Chinese. I think most white man are blinded by their arrogance so they can't see beyond their own Eurocentric point of view. Worst, non-white keep giving an ear to these people allowing them to spew more of the venoms.

You think this is accidental racism?

 

[Tigershark]

Articles like this show the importance of the rise of non-Western English media, like CCTV, PressTV, and Russia Today. The article is nominally about the efficiency of the Chinese evacuation of workers in Libya, but thematically, it is about American concern for its own decline, and the alienness of the Chinese workers, who unlike Americans, do not wear "headphones or play with a telephone or digital device. They are all slim and fit, no sign of impending obesity." The article ends with trepidation of the American reporter that the future will look more Chinese and less American. Throughout, as Aramsgogo as pointed out, Martin portrays Chinese workers as mindless communist automatons that are out to dominate and enslave the world. With such an endless stream of anti-China propaganda, it's little wonder so many Westerners are filled with fear and jealousy about China's peaceful rise. It's critical that China increase its own English-language media to counter such one-sided smear campaigns.

 

[CardSharp]

Articles like this show the importance of the rise of non-Western English media, like CCTV, PressTV, and Russia Today. The article is nominally about the efficiency of the Chinese evacuation of workers in Libya, but thematically, it is about American concern for its own decline, and the alienness of the Chinese workers, who unlike Americans, do not wear "headphones or play with a telephone or digital device. They are all slim and fit, no sign of impending obesity." The article ends with trepidation of the American reporter that the future will look more Chinese and less American. Throughout, as Aramsgogo as pointed out, Martin portrays Chinese workers as mindless communist automatons that are out to dominate and enslave the world. With such an endless stream of anti-China propaganda, it's little wonder so many Westerners are filled with fear and jealousy about China's peaceful rise. It's critical that China increase its own English-language media to counter such one-sided smear campaigns.

couldn't agree more but China needs to branch out into nominally Independent sources of English media. Agencies such as Xinhua or global times are too easily dismissed by the western hoi polloi as a "mouth piece"

That single word would alone gives the general populace emotional permission to dismiss the news without feeling guilt for being close minded and biased.

 

[peaceful]

we should work harder to get people like the author of the OP article on our side.

it is not difficult. when our GDP per capita reaches 65% of theirs, you will see it.

 

[below_freezing]

we should work harder to get people like the author of the OP article on our side.

it is not difficult. when our GDP per capita reaches 65% of theirs, you will see it.

No they'll hate us even more. The Soviet Union had near parity with the Wall Street regime and was still hated. The US's views of the world are dictated by racism, self righteousness and fanatic nationalism.