You just can’t find decent party apparatchiks these days.
Chinese Community Party stooges criticized the U.S. Holocaust Museum this week after it dared to mention China’s genocide of Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang region.
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Unsurprisingly, the attempt to shame the museum into silence backfired in a big, and perhaps even fatal, way.
“At the Olympics,” the museum said on social media, “you’ll see a well-known tradition — the torch relay — which the Nazis used at the 1936 Olympics for propaganda purposes. Today, we witness how the Olympics can still be used to distract from atrocities, such as the persecution of the [Uyghurs].”
This proved a bridge too far for the Chinese Communist Party’s errand boys.
“Shame on the Holocaust Museum,” said China Daily’s Chen Weihua. “Are you saying Nazi Holocaust of Jews was nothing but vocational training? More than 30,000 Jews sought refuge in Shanghai during the war and this is now your appreciation to the Chinese people?”
Jie Ma of the Agro-Environmental Protection Institute of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said elsewhere, “The US killed more Indians than the Nazis killed Jews.”
A couple of things stand out here.
First, you probably noticed already the lack of a clear and unequivocal denial regarding China’s systematic extermination of the Uyghurs. What they don’t say is infinitely more interesting than what they do say. Their pointed failure to dispute the museum’s assertion, and their reliance on whataboutism and distraction, send a loud and unmistakable signal there’s merit to the allegation.
Fun tip: If someone wrongly accuses you of genocide, you can simply say they’re wrong. There’s no need to bring up cowboys and Indians. No need, that is, unless you’re trying to distract from the truth.
Secondly, Chen has undoubtedly run afoul of his party masters by bringing up the history of Shanghai and the Holocaust. By reminding everyone the Chinese city was a safe haven for Jews during the Holocaust, he has unintentionally reminded everyone the city wasn’t under Chinese authority during those years. It was controlled at the time by the occupying Japanese empire. Shanghai became a go-to destination for Jews fleeing Nazi persecution while under Japanese occupation.
(As a side note: Chen blocked me on Twitter after I reminded him of these details. Truth be told, I’m not even mad. It’s nice to see a Chinese communist censoring himself for once.)
Also, Chen made another unintentional mistake. By reminding everyone Shanghai was occupied by the Japanese during World War II, he has created the environment for the obvious follow-up question: When did the Japanese leave, and who is responsible for expelling them?
The answer, of course, is the Republic of China (Taiwan). It merits all the credit for liberating Shanghai, not Mao’s most glorious and supposedly all-powerful Chinese Communist Party.
In other words, the Chinese Communist Party played no role whatsoever in providing a safe haven for Jews during World War II. All credit goes to the Japanese. The Chinese Communist Party likewise played no role in liberating Shanghai from the Japanese. All credit goes to the Republic of China.
And now, everyone remembers. I’m sure this is something the Chinese Communist Party is thrilled to have everyone reminded of during the 2022 Winter Olympics, which are being held in Beijing. China is trying to play the big man on the world stage, and here’s Chen reminding everyone of Chinese defeat, Japanese occupation, and the victories of the Republic of China.
Good job, Chen. You tried your best. I’m not sure your supervisors are going to be too pleased with your self-defeating and unintentionally unflattering effort, but at least you tried.
