China and Nepal media in war of words over coronavirus control claims
- China ‘reserves the right to further action’ after it accuses journalists, editors and media organisations of spreading smears and racial discrimination
- Beijing takes exception when Nepalese newspaper publishes article saying ‘authoritarian systems don’t do well when confronting unexpected crises’
China has stepped up its criticism of overseas media reports and commentaries on the coronavirus outbreak and said it reserved the right to take action against material it deemed “ignorant” or “prejudicial”.
On Tuesday, Beijing’s ambassador to Nepal accused the chief editor of The Kathmandu Post, Anup Kaphle, of publishing views biased against China – a complaint that resulted in a rebuke from 17 editors across the Nepalese media.
The spat between China and Nepalese editors began on Tuesday, when ambassador Hou Yanqi said Beijing “reserves the right to further action” after The Kathmandu Post suggested China’s secrecy had made the virus outbreak worse.
A statement published by the embassy on Tuesday said that an opinion piece published that day under the headline “China’s secrecy has made coronavirus crisis much worse” had “deliberately smeared the efforts of the Chinese government and people fighting against the new coronavirus pneumonia and even viciously attacked the political system of China”.
The 551-word statement added: “We hereby express our strong dissatisfaction and firm protest to it. This [article] fully revealed [the paper’s] ignorance and prejudice on China, deeply hurt the feelings of the Chinese people, and sparked strong indignation and condemnation among the Chinese people and Nepali friends from all sectors.”
The embassy also took aim at the paper’s senior staff: “It is regrettable that Mr Anup Kaphle, Chief Editor of The Kathmandu Post, has always been biased on China-related issues. This time he went as far as disregarding the facts and becoming a parrot of some anti-China forces and, therefore, his ulterior purpose is destined to failure.
“The Chinese embassy in Nepal has made solemn representations to the newspaper and himself and reserves the right of further action.”