Beijing (AP) – In his passionate “message of peace” at the opening of the Winter Paralympics in Beijing, the President of the International Paralympic Committee, Andrew Parsons, was partially censored by Chinese state television.
His speech was translated incompletely and rather paraphrasingly. Important sentences such as: “I am appalled by what is happening in the world right now” and “The 21st century is a time for dialogue and diplomacy, not war and hatred” were missing. Parsons did not name Russia and Ukraine.
The original soundtrack was suddenly turned off, possibly so that the English-speaking listener wouldn’t notice the discrepancy. Because of the truncation, the translator, who obviously had a speech in front of him, also recited parts that Parsons had not yet said. To get back in sync, the translator paused unusually long, although Parsons continued talking.
Nonetheless, Chinese viewers learned other key messages from his speech, such as that his committee strives for a better and more inclusive world – free from discrimination, hatred and ignorance. Parsons was also correctly quoted as saying that Paralympic athletes know that the opponent is not an enemy and that togetherness brings us further.
As a “strategic partner” of Russia, China stands alongside President Vladimir Putin. Beijing has not condemned the invasion and even backs Russia in justifying the war, criticizing the US and NATO’s eastward expansion.
China’s head of state and party leader Xi Jinping had also courted Putin as the guest of honor at the opening of the Winter Olympics in Beijing on February 4, while other countries such as the USA had politically boycotted the celebration because of its criticism of China.