tlmorg02
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BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | China seeks control through openness
So, is China becoming more open, or is the government using media to get the message out to the world that this is not a separatist movement, but a clahing of ethinic groups? Thoughts?
"Let the facts speak for themselves," was the unusual statement of intent from Xinjiang regional government official Li Wanhui after Sunday's violence in Urumqi that officials say left 156 people dead.
It was unusual because China is a country where the authorities like to exert tight control over what its people read, watch or listen to.
Yet here was a local official suggesting they would help journalists to cover one of the most serious incidents of ethnic unrest in the country's history.
Last year, when there were riots in Tibet, the whole region was sealed off. Foreign journalists were prevented from going there.
For two days the Chinese released no pictures of what had gone on there.
Different tactic
It is clear China learnt lessons from its suppression of the violence in Tibet and the perception it created that it had something to hide by trying to restrict the information that came out.
This time we have seen a different tactic - a clever and effective effort to shape the story to fit its own agenda, using the kind of techniques familiar to any major PR firm anywhere in the world.
So, is China becoming more open, or is the government using media to get the message out to the world that this is not a separatist movement, but a clahing of ethinic groups? Thoughts?