Chinese legislator proposes banning foreign translation at government press conferences
- Move could promote Chinese culture and cut out inefficiency, the deputy says in one of 506 motions submitted to National People’s Congress this year
- But the deputy, a city mayor, claims foreign ministry has already stopped foreign language translation, which is not the case
The motion raised by Yang Weiguo – the mayor and deputy Communist Party secretary of Zhuzhou, a city in central China’s Hunan province – at the national legislature would showcase China’s cultural confidence and improve efficiency at major diplomatic events and press briefings, he told the party mouthpiece People’s Daily.
“Language is a medium for civilisation, and to a large extent carries our national culture and spirit,” he was quoted as saying. “By cancelling foreign language translation at official press briefings and conferences, this would help effectively promote the spread of Chinese culture across the world, elevating the appeal and influence of the Chinese language, as well as increasing China’s initiative and right to speak in international discourse, further showing our confidence in Chinese culture.”
The proposal by Yang comes at a time when Beijing has sought to “tell China’s story well” internationally, including by pouring billions into its global foreign-language state media apparatus and having its diplomats join foreign social media platforms in droves.
Under Chinese President Xi Jinping, Beijing has taken aggressive steps to shape its image abroad while urging “cultural confidence” domestically, with state-run media taking the lead in encouraging and at times weaponising nationalistic sentiment for the party’s geopolitical and political aims.