Some Chinese media have derived understandable mirth from the spectacle of a US “dissident”, former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, fleeing to China for protection. There is indeed an irony about Mr Snowden taking details of what he portrays as an Orwellian exercise in information gathering in the US to the Mother of all Big Brothers.
Doubtless there will be efforts by China’s state-controlled media to equate Mr Snowden’s revelations with actions by Chinese dissidents to damage China’s national interest. The implication is that China should be left to deal with its troublemakers as the US deals with its.
This would be a faulty conclusion. Even if Mr Snowden is eventually extradited, he will be protected by a constitution that places enormous store in freedom of expression. The US is not above reproach. Accusations by the UN rapporteur of cruel and degrading treatment meted out to Bradley Manning, the US soldier who gave classified documents to WikiLeaks, are cause for concern. Still, China, where laws are subservient to the party’s requirements, is a million miles away from offering the protection afforded to US citizens.