China state paper casts doubt on Obama's platform for change
China's state-run People's Daily Monday cast doubt on Barack Obama's ability to bring change if elected US president, in a commentary that gave a rare insight into the Chinese government's thinking.
The report in the overseas edition of the newspaper -- the mouthpiece of the Communist Party -- also said Obama's emergence as Democratic Party candidate for the US presidential elections did not challenge racial divisions. "Obama has not broken through white America's feeling of superiority, on the contrary, his emergence has reinforced that feeling," said the comment, which was written by the paper's senior editor.
China has so far been publicly mute about the US presidential elections -- due in November -- in an effort to remain neutral. But the comment piece in Monday's People's Daily gave a small glimpse into the Communist Party's thoughts on the US elections after Obama clinched the Democratic Party nomination from rival Hillary Clinton.
Obama has campaigned on a platform for radical change in the US, but the newspaper downplayed his ability to bring about transformation if he was elected. It took Obama's staunch anti-Iraq war stance as an example, saying questions remained over how to pull troops out of the war-torn country.
"No one believes that on such a complicated issue, only relying on a firm stance can resolve things," the comment piece said. "The same problem exists for changes in the economy, social security and education."
The paper also pointed to Obama's inexperience compared to rival Republican Party candidate John McCain. "To borrow a phrase used in Clinton and Obama's campaigns, maybe one can describe the feelings that voters might encounter: Everyone imagine for a moment the person who picks up the red phone at 3am in the morning in the White House -- if it's McCain, they will be at ease."
Experts say China's leaders have traditionally preferred Republican presidents over Democratic ones, partly because they tend to focus less on rights issues. |