Shhh--Censors at Work

THE WORD "censorship" has been tossed around with abandon lately--applied to everything from Bill Maher losing sponsors for his failing political comedy show to robust criticism of creepy left-wing cartoonist Ted Rall. Below you'll find an example of what the real thing looks like. Last month President Bush gave a well-received speech to the students at Tsinghua University, often referred to as the MIT of China. The speech made news because the administration pressured the dictators in Beijing into agreeing to broadcast it live in China with a simultaneous translation.

This was a real breakthrough, and not to be scoffed at. But according to someone we will call a correspondent in China, the broadcast was not advertised, nor was the time of the speech known in advance. A translation appeared in the government press, but the correspondent was curious to see the speech as it was published in this country, suspecting not unreasonably that the official translators had truncated it. And how. Roughly half of the speech "disappeared" in the Chinese version.

What we received from the correspondent was an annotated version of the speech as posted by the White House, showing the parts that were left out. It's reproduced below. The parts bracketed and underlined were removed by the Chinese government. The speech was delivered at 10:35 a.m., Beijing time, February 22, 2002.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Vice President Hu, thank you very much for your kind and generous remarks. Thank you for welcoming me and my wife, Laura, here. (Applause.) I see she's keeping pretty good company, with the Secretary of State, Colin Powell. It's good to see you, Mr. Secretary. (Applause.) And I see my National Security Advisor, Ms. Condoleezza Rice, who at one time was the provost at Stanford University. So she's comfortable on university campuses such as this. Thank you for being here, Condi. (Applause.)

I'm so grateful for the hospitality, and honored for the reception at one of China's, and the world's, great universities.

This university was founded, interestingly enough, with the support of my country, to further ties between our two nations. I know how important this place is to your Vice President. He not only received his degree here, but more importantly, he met his gracious wife here. (Laughter.)

I want to thank the students for giving me the chance to meet with you, the chance to talk a little bit about my country and answer some of your questions. The standards and reputation of this university are known around the world, and I know what an achievement it is to be here. So, congratulations. (Applause.) I don't know if you know this or not, but my wife and I have two daughters who are in college, just like you. One goes to the University of Texas. One goes to Yale. They're twins. And we are proud of our daughters, just like I'm sure your parents are proud of you.

My visit to China comes on an important anniversary, as the Vice President mentioned. Thirty years ago this week, an American President arrived in China on a trip designed to end decades of estrangement and confront centuries of suspicion. President Richard Nixon showed the world that two vastly different governments could meet on the grounds of common interest, in the spirit of mutual respect. As they left the airport that day, Premier Zhou Enlai said this to President Nixon: "Your handshake came over the vastest ocean in the world--25 years of no communication."

During the 30 years since, America and China have exchanged many handshakes of friendship and commerce. And as we have had more contact with each other, the citizens of both countries have gradually learned more about each other. And that's important. Once America knew China only by its history as a great and enduring civilization. Today, we see a China that is still defined by noble traditions of family, scholarship, and honor. And we see a China that is becoming one of the most dynamic and creative societies in the world--as demonstrated by the knowledge and potential right here in this room. China is on a rising path, and America welcomes the emergence of a strong and peaceful and prosperous China. (Applause.)

As America learns more about China, I am concerned that the Chinese people do not always see a clear picture of my country. This happens for many reasons, and some of them of our own making. Our movies and television shows often do not portray the values of the real America I know. Our successful businesses show a strength of American commerce, but our spirit, community spirit, and contributions to each other are not always visible as monetary success.