Xinhua Mocks India's Territorial Claims (and Accents)
Xinhua has raised its rhetoric against India regarding a two month-long territorial dispute by employing a cultural stereotype denounced by critics as being racist.
The Chinese state media outlet published a video on its English-language current affairs video series The Spark yesterday in which an actor was seen wearing a turban and an ill-fitting beard while speaking in an Indian accent and bobbing his head back and forth.
The actor demonstrates a hypothetical Indian response to scenarios proposed by presenter Wang Dier, who refutes India's territorial claims using metaphors and a casual tone.
After Wang compares India's incursion to a home invasion, the actor is heard saying, "Why call 911? Don't you wanna play house, bro?" Later, Wang argues that China must take new measures to resolve the conflict because it is "impossible to awaken a guy who's pretending to be asleep." The scenario is manifested into reality by having the actor say, "Nobody's blaming me because I'm asleep."
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In yet another segment, Wang tells India that China's development in the region is like "your neighbor is building a path in his garden," to which India's objection is depicted by the actor wildly shouting, "He's building a path in his garden. I'm in DANGER!"
In another segment, in which Wang criticizes India's claims of protecting neighboring Bhutan, the turban and beard-wearing actor is seen wielding a pair of scissors as a person next to him representing Bhutan is portrayed as being a reluctant participant.
The actor representing Bhutan is not dressed up in any way, and appears to simply be a Chinese man speaking in English.
The Spark presents the Indian caricature as comedic relief, ending each appearance of the actor representing India with canned laughter. At the same time, Wang takes a condescending tone towards India, asking it at one point: "Didn't your mama tell you to never break the law?"
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The use of a cultural stereotype represents an escalation in rhetoric by The Spark, which used its latest show to insist that India should "confess" to its "sins."
Previous episodes of The Spark have made the same arguments refuting India's territorial claims, but have appealed to a sense of sympathy. In another episode, presenter Luo Jun said "China has shown utmost restraint and tolerance for its neighbor," but says its "patience won't be forever" as an image of a broken heart appears next to her.
As seen from its latest video, it appears that Xinhua's patience has alreadny run out.
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Some responses on Xinhua's Twitter account condemned Xinhua's use of the caricature:
Images: Weibo.com, Xinhuanet.com
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