Beijing's Green Warning Labels at the Frankfurt Book Fair

Beijing's Green Warning Labels at the Frankfurt Book Fair
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
October 16, 2009

The two sides of the Taiwan Strait are both participants at the Frankfurt Book Fair. Mainland China has among the books on display at its pavilion volumes published on Taiwan. To these it has attached "Green Warning Labels" reading "We do not endorse any content that violates the One China Principle." This gesture mirrors the disclaimers shown at the end of many political talk shows on Taiwan declaring that "The above comments do not represent the views of our station." It is hard not to chuckle at them.

The primary purpose of these Green Warning Labels is to protect the book fair host from potential political fallout. This system is more progressive than checking each book page by page, or worse, blotting out the actual text with black markers. Actually, since the two sides already have a "You can write what you like, but I don't intend to recognize it" understanding, such Green Warning Labels are superfluous.

Beijing has just displayed its military capabilities at its 60th National Day celebration. As this year's featured nation, Beijing sees the book fair as an important showcase for its soft power. But beginning last month, Beijing began pressuring dissident authors to withdraw from the book fair. Recently the Taiwan Pavilion was forced to change its name to "Taiwan Publishers." The Mainland pavilion pasted political warning labels on books published on Taiwan. These are evidence of too much bluster and too little tolerance.

The ice is melting in the Taiwan Strait. The Mainland China Pavilion is displaying books published on Taiwan. This is a praiseworthy move. But the books have been carefully preselected. Mostly they are books on art and decorating. Yet even they require "One China Principle" preventive measures. Isn't this just a wee bit one-sided? Isn't this making a mountain out of a molehill? This international book fair has a 600 year history. To handle cultural creations in such a heavy handed manner is markedly at odds with the air of civilization and refinement Beijing wishes to demonstrate.

The Frankfurt Book Fair is not the 10/1 National Day celebration. Beijing cannot force the host nation or participating nations to adopt the framework it applies at home. This is an international activity, with internationally accepted rules of the game. Beijing is a participant. It can participate fully. It can work toward its own goals. But it cannot coerce other participants to play by its rules. That would be contrary to the rules of international competition. Moreover, a book fair is a free market for peaceful and pluralistic cultural exchange. There is no need for hegemonic "rule the roost" attitudes.

The book fair includes over 600 China themed activities, more than enough to allow the West to understand the "New China." But some of Beijing's political gestures will merely make unnecessary trouble for the organizers. The world media will focus on these negative developments. This runs counter to the international image Beijing hopes to create.

The main reason for this gap is that political thinking within the Chinese Communist Party has not caught up with the Mainland's newfound economic prosperity. Those within the bureaucracy still think in terms of Cold War era confrontation and containment. Top officials on both sides have reached a reconciliation. The ice is melting. A consensus is forming. But administrators have yet to change their thinking and standard operating procedures. They have yet to stand down from their diplomatic wars and military preparations. In recent years, The CCP Central Committee has indeed shown signs of "emancipating its thought." But lower echelon officials have yet to adjust their thinking and behavior accordingly. That is because the safest response is the standard response. Going strictly by the book is least likely to get one into trouble. But a great nation is confident of its own status. If Mainland officials respond confidently and rationality, there is no reason why they can't change the outside world's image of an authoritarian power that suppresses freedom of expression?

As a rising power Mainland China's hard power has indeed attracted the world's attention. But its soft power remains in doubt. When it comes to recognizing the universal values of human rights, democracy, and freedom, Beijing is still a long way off. It still has much room for improvement. Last year Taipei joined WHA as an observer. This created a win-win scenario. Beijing's openness won international acclaim. That was a perfect example. During this year's World Games in Kaohsiung and Deaflympics in Taipei, Beijing respected the right of audience members to wave flags of their own choosing. This was also a highly positive development. By contrast, the Green Warning Labels at the Frankfurt Book Fair run counter to this trend.

The Mainland pavilion at the Frankfurt Book Fair should to remove the little Green Warning Labels on books published on Taiwan. Allowing a diversity of opinions would be an enlightened move, Pasting labels on books merely leave one disillusioned. Removing such labels means removing an old bandage covering China's self-doubts.

法蘭克福書展 中國館的綠色標籤
【聯合報╱社論】
2009.10.16 04:56 am

兩岸同時參加法蘭克福書展，中國大陸在其展區陳列的台灣圖書上，加貼「違反一中原則的內容一律不予承認」的綠色警語標籤。這個動作像是台灣的叩應節目，在片尾加註「以上言論不代表本台立場」，令人看了不禁莞爾。

這枚綠色標籤的主要作用，是使主持書展者免去萬一發生的政治責任；此制較全書逐頁檢查甚至局部塗黑的舊制自較進步，但既然已有「你寫你的／我不承認」的空間，這張綠色標籤誠屬多此一舉。

剛剛舉辦過軍容壯盛的建國一甲子國慶，身為此次書展的主題國，中國也將這次書展視為重要的文化國力展示場。然而，從上月中共官員因杯葛異議作家與會而集體退席，至近日台灣館被迫更名「台灣出版人」，乃至中國館陳列台灣書籍卻加貼政治宣示標籤，卻都顯得「霸氣」逼人，而「大氣」不足。

從兩岸融冰的角度看，中國館要展出台灣圖書，原本值得積極看待；但展出的書類其實皆經過挑選，大多是藝術、裝潢類書刊，卻也要加註「一中原則」的防範，未免極不對稱，小題大作。在一個有六百年歷史的國際書展，用這麼粗糙的手法對待文化創作產品，實在與北京亟欲誇示的文明和氣質大相逕庭。

與十一國慶不同，在法蘭克福書展，中國不能拿國內那套硬梆梆的手法來框架主辦單位或其他參展組織，因為這是一個國際活動，有國際通行的遊戲規則。中國作為一個參與者，可以在場上全力演出，爭取自己的成功；卻不能以杯葛或壓制其他參與者的方式，來抬高自己，因為那有違國際競賽的規則。何況，書展是文化交流的場域及和平多元的自由市場，實在不必有稱雄、稱霸的居心。

這次書展，計有六百多場以中國為主題的活動，足可吸引許多西方人士認識「新中國」。但中共的一些政治性的小動作，不僅使主辦單位增添了許多不必要的麻煩，也使全球媒體反而聚焦在這些負面報導，這對中國想要營造的國際形象其實是有害無益。

之所以有這樣的落差，主要原因是中共內部尚未形成一套足與經濟崛起相符應的新政治思維；因此，官僚體系所熟悉者仍是那一套冷戰時代的對抗和圍堵思維。雖然兩岸高層對和解、融冰的共識已然形成，但在中共行政體系思維與操作中，外交戰的武裝卻仍未卸除。這幾年來，中共中央令人確有「解放思想」的跡象，但基層人員的思想行為似未隨之調整；因為，最安全的一定是「制式反應」，照著「標準模式」演出最不可能犯錯。但作為一個自許的大國，官員若能秉著自信與理性應對，何致無法改變外界對其「打壓言論自由」的專制印象？

作為一個崛起的大國，中國的「硬實力」確已受到全球矚目，但它的「軟實力」卻仍有爭議；尤其在人權、民主和自由等面向，與普世認可的價值仍有相當距離。在這個廣大的空間中，北京實有極大的進取餘地。去年台北以觀察員身分參加ＷＨＡ，不僅締造了兩岸雙贏，北京的開放作風更贏得國際好評，即是最好的例子。今年的高雄世運及台北聽奧，中共對觀眾的持旗權利亦予尊重，這也頗具正面意義的表徵。兩相對照，法蘭克福書展上的綠色標籤，就顯得似與這個大趨勢背道而馳。

法蘭克福中國館台灣書籍上的那張綠色小標籤其實可以撕掉。容許書中可能存在的多元意見是一開明進步，但貼上一張標籤卻使這種正面的想像幻滅。撕掉這枚標籤，也是撕掉貼在中國自信心創傷上的陳年膏藥。