Original Title: Haruki Murakami: Wherever there are people, there is bound to be loneliness, it's just that they dislike disappointment.
I used to work as a Chinese employee for an American media branch in China.
Recently, some Chinese employees working for foreign media have had their work permits revoked. I hope to write about my previous work experience to help everyone understand this group better.
According to laws and regulations, Chinese people are not allowed to work as journalists for foreign media, but can only serve as "Chinese secretaries". This restriction means that you cannot publish articles under your own name, nor can you ask questions at press conferences held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or other Chinese authorities.
The first time I attended a regular press conference held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I didn't know about this rule and raised my hand to ask a question. The spokesperson at the time, Hong Lei, politely said, "Are the journalists all busy? According to the regulations, you are not allowed to ask questions. Next time, they will have to come in person."
That's when I realized that I was only allowed to attend the press conference and record the questions asked by other journalists. This is why Chinese people only receive an "observer certificate". There are many other restrictions on Chinese employees working for foreign media, such as not being allowed to travel alone and having difficulty getting promotions or transfers within foreign media. Foreign media cannot directly hire us, we have to be employed through the Diplomatic Service Bureau under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to work for foreign media.
The restrictions on "Chinese secretaries" have historical roots.
In the Soviet Union, foreign media and embassy-employed drivers, translators, and other local staff could only be selected from personnel provided by the KGB. Essentially, all these "Soviet secretaries" were KGB agents who, in addition to their daily work at the embassy and foreign media, also had to regularly report on the activities and work of foreign journalists to their superiors.
China also used this management method at one point. It gradually relaxed after the reform and opening up, allowing foreign media and foreign embassies to hire Chinese staff on their own. However, Chinese employees still have to sign labor contracts and social security agreements through the Diplomatic Service Bureau for management purposes.
What do Chinese secretaries do?
Do these restrictions really limit the work of Chinese secretaries? Yes and no.
Most of the Chinese secretaries I know play important roles in the topic selection, reporting, and editing processes of foreign media. Because apart from a few foreign journalists who have deep knowledge of China, most foreign journalists are sent to China after working in another country for a few years, and they will move to another country after completing their five-year term in China. These people need fundamental help and guidance from Chinese secretaries in terms of language, culture, and connections. Although most Chinese secretaries can only do auxiliary work, the encouraging change is that in recent years, Chinese secretaries, especially those working for larger American newspapers or news agencies, have been doing independent reporting and news investigations, but they have to include a foreign colleague's name when publishing or going on business trips to comply with relevant regulations.
They are essentially journalists. However, on the other hand, because of these government restrictions, it is almost impossible for them to further advance and become journalists with equal status and salary as their foreign counterparts within foreign media. Many topics that they could have independently written about are forced to become collaborative efforts. From one perspective, this also limits the influence of Chinese people in foreign media.
In my experience, the more important the role played by Chinese secretaries, the greater the possibility of correcting the biases of foreign journalists.
As mentioned earlier, many foreign journalists have stereotypical impressions and biases about China. But from my personal experience, these biases are often not because they have any "anti-China" motives. These so-called biases are partly due to the fact that, like any industry, the media industry also has many people who are not diligent enough, not professional enough, and only chase after hot topics. Secondly, reporting in China is really difficult. The difficulties lie in the limited number of journalist visas issued to each foreign media outlet, which means that each journalist has to cover a wide range of areas. Moreover, due to the tightening political atmosphere and the rise of nationalist sentiments, foreign media face more and more obstacles in conducting interviews.
Thirdly, many foreign journalists, especially American journalists, have the habit of "speculating about the government with the worst intentions" in opaque areas. They do this not only for the Chinese government, but also for the US government and other governments. In their understanding, the natural role of the media is to supervise and uncover these opaque areas and see if the government is up to something.
In my opinion, the reasons for these three biases are being overcome by Chinese employees, and they can be overcome.
Let me give you an example. A few years ago, I participated in an important report on China's Belt and Road Initiative. At the beginning of the report, my American colleagues quoted some American experts to question whether China was deliberately setting up a "debt trap" in some countries because China's lending had indeed contributed to the debt problems in some countries.
However, those who understand the situation may know that the reasons for China's excessive borrowing are very complex. This involves the lack of planning from the central to local levels in project implementation, the interests of state-owned enterprises, the habit of excessive lending by banks, as well as some practical issues related to some officials making decisions on a whim and catering to higher-level intentions. Even if this has nothing to do with debt traps, we are accustomed to not showing this side to the outside world because in the mindset of propaganda, it is impossible to show weakness.
My role was to explain these unique Chinese issues to the journalists and editors, participate in contacting and interviewing officials from relevant departments and state-owned enterprises, and visit the projects that China has undertaken in several Southeast Asian countries with my colleagues, so that the report could be more in-depth and comprehensive. If I remember correctly, after this report was published, it was quoted by the People's Daily, and a leader from a government department privately told us, "This is a rare objective report."
I'm not here to say that I am proud because I wrote a positive report. I just want to say that promoting mutual understanding is possible, and the role of Chinese secretaries is very important in this process. However, what often limits the ability and influence of Chinese people in foreign media is the restrictions imposed by the Chinese government.
Of course, you may say that foreign media is still biased, but I want to say that without Chinese employees, some biases would be even more severe. And considering the influence of these American media outlets worldwide, no matter how many people criticize them as "fake news," they are indeed, and will continue to be, the most important window for people from all walks of life, from farmers to politicians, to understand China. And Chinese employees are the first bridge to promote dialogue between China and the outside world.
If you look at things with a biased perspective, everything will be biased.
Are Chinese secretaries patriotic?
This is another question that Chinese secretaries are often asked.
Because they often deal with sensitive topics and report critically on the Chinese government, they not only face difficulties in being understood by their families and friends, but also often face questioning from interviewees and even their own partners, "Are you a traitor?"
I may not be able to represent all Chinese secretaries, but I can say for sure that I am patriotic, it's just that our understanding of this question may be different.
Many Chinese employees working for foreign media are not in it for the money. Their income may not be higher than that of domestic media, and they have no career advancement opportunities. They often face pressure from relevant departments for "tea-drinking" meetings, and their families and friends do not understand them. Furthermore, after leaving foreign media, this experience is often seen as a "stain" by many Chinese people, so there are many disadvantages and few benefits.
Most of the people who come to work here are young people who have just graduated and have unlimited aspirations for the news industry. What they want to do is the same as many domestic journalists, and even as Hu Xijin said, they hope to report on a real and complex China.
Personally, both of my parents are civil servants, and many of my classmates and friends are also civil servants. In the three years of work, I have traveled to most provinces in China. My colleagues and I often wake up at 4 am to catch the earliest flight because we hope to have more time for interviews.
We believe that a more transparent society is a healthier one, and we also hope that this country can be better and that the people can live happier and more dignified lives.
The cover image is something I saw at an old journalist's house, and I think it's very true.
A healthy society should not have only one voice. When society lacks authoritative media and needs various self-media to speak up, it is precisely when rumors abound.