The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online. The name of the issuing body has been omitted to protect the source.<\/em><\/p>\n
Regarding the British vote to leave the European Union and related matters, immediately control the scale of coverage on all websites and new media platforms: reduce the quantity of reports, and don\u2019t hype the story, speculate, or comment. (June 27, 2016) [Chinese<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Britain narrowly voted to leave the European Union last week, tipping its domestic politics into disarray and its future into deep uncertainty. Observers are divided on whether the news will help or harm China\u2019s interests<\/a>, in terms of its economy, \u201cgolden relationship\u201d with Britain and contacts with the rest of Europe, and its broader geopolitical position.<\/p>\n
China\u2019s state media, meanwhile, made political hay. Sinocism\u2019s Bill Bishop commented<\/strong><\/a>:<\/p>\n
One thing that seems obvious is that it is a propaganda windfall for Beijing as the screed against the perils of mass democracy basically writes itself. Greece nearly collapsed a few years ago, Britain looks to be driving itself towards a cliff, and if America elects Trump president then three of the cradles of democracy will have highlighted to those with an illiberal bent the dangers of unchecked democracy, effectively giving the Chinese Communist Party a propaganda trifecta. [Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
On Saturday\u2014prior to the directive, though different rules often apply to top state media in any case\u2014People\u2019s Daily pursued this theme with zeal<\/strong><\/a>. It highlighted the economic and political instability following the vote, the divisiveness and distortions of the campaign, the likelihood that the referendum will fail to address people\u2019s basic anxieties, and the sizable minority pulled along against their will:<\/p>\n
[\u2026] On June 16th, the pro-Remain British MP Jo Cox was cruelly murdered by an assassin who called himself \u201cDeath to traitors, freedom for Britain.\u201d<\/a> This is an extreme illustration of the divisions in British society that were aggravated by the referendum.<\/p>\n
Stirring up disharmony would be a source of instability in any society. To increase their own influence, the Leave and Remain camps each attacked the other without restraint, not even hesitating to abuse fact and statistics. Before the vote, “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling wrote on her blog that \u201cthe tales we have been told during this referendum have been uglier than any I can remember in my lifetime<\/a>,\u201d even for someone who has \u201ccreated monsters\u201d in stories herself. Guardian columnist Zoe Williams was even more direct: “No general election has ever been as full of mendacity as this referendum, so that the casual voter basically has to guess who is telling the truth by how fast they\u2019re talking and the look in their eyes.” [The Chinese translation, reflected here, differs slightly from the original<\/a>.]<\/p>\n
Obviously, the referendum outcome doesn\u2019t show that British society has reached consensus, because no small number of Britons supported Remain. The U.K.\u2019s domestic differences are as prominent as ever. A considerable section of the population is completely unconvinced that Brexit will naturally increase economic competitiveness, bringing better development opportunities and more wealth; they even anticipate that the shock of it will bring irretrievable costs. [Chinese<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Similarly, from the state-run Global Times<\/strong><\/a>:<\/p>\n
[\u2026] There is no direct political impact on Russia and China. For the Chinese people, who are at a critical time to learn about globalization and democracy, they will continue to watch the consequence of Britain\u2019s embracing of a \u201cdemocratic\u201d referendum. [Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
But a front page commentary in People\u2019s Daily\u2019s overseas edition struck a milder note<\/strong><\/a>, as Reuters’ Ben Blanchard described:<\/p>\n
\u201cGoing forward, China and Britain will keep pushing for the early realization of the \u2018golden age\u2019.\u201d [Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
This is more in keeping with the tone of statements from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs<\/a> and from Premier Li Keqiang, who told the World Economic Forum in Tianjin that \u201cEurope is China\u2019s important cooperative partner, and China will continue to devote itself to maintain and develop ties between China and Europe, between China and Britain<\/a>. We hope to see a united and stable European Union and a stable and prosperous Britain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reuters gathered a range of other views from the WEF and elsewhere<\/strong><\/a> as the debate over Brexit\u2019s implications for China<\/a> continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only short-term impact I can think about is the exchange rate of the renminbi \u2026 But I do think within a few trading sessions that situation will very quickly be subdued,\u201d Li said. [Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Read more on Chinese views from the WEF<\/a> from Stephen McDonell at the BBC, on analysts\u2019 predictions for the yuan<\/a> at Marketwatch, and on other economic fallout in Asia<\/a> at South China Morning Post.<\/p>\n
A less direct economic impact could arise from a further stalling of reform if, as Christopher Balding suggested at Bloomberg View, the result inflames already raw anxieties which could also affect the domestic political climate<\/strong><\/a>:<\/p>\n
[\u2026 E]xpect China\u2019s leadership to double down on economic and financial policies intended to keep growth humming and minimize any disruption, no matter what the price. That may mean a further weakening of the yuan and more credit-fueled investment. It may mean leaders will think twice about undertaking contentious bank reforms. And a much-needed overhaul of state-owned enterprises \u2013 which risks turning laid-off workers into crowds of protesters \u2013 could be placed on the backburner. A further tightening of dissent also can\u2019t be ruled out. [Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
In terms of international politics, there is still widespread disagreement over whether and how China stands to benefit<\/a>. Ting Shi reported at Bloomberg that the referendum has \u201cthrown off Xi and Cameron\u2019s political bromance,\u201d<\/strong><\/a> and presented a range of other views:<\/p>\n
[\u2026] \u201cOn the whole, China would have preferred for their own self interest for the U.K. to stay in the EU,\u201d said Kerry Brown,\u00a0director of the Lau China Institute at King\u2019s College, London, and a former U.K. diplomat in Beijing.\u00a0\u201dIn the end, I think that China will work to its advantage with whatever outcome eventually emerges.\u201d [Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Zhang Baohui\u2019s suggestion of a revitalized U.S.-U.K. partnership may overlook the now greatly diminished value of the \u201cspecial relationship\u201d to the American side<\/a> as well. For now, the U.S. seems set to do what it can to soften the economic impact on its ally<\/a>. As Zhang Bei of the China Institute of International Studies argues<\/a>, however, \u201ca diminished Britain after Brexit might need ever more the support of the US, but what it could offer in return is a big question.\u201d Eurasia Group President Ian Bremmer described the British decision as a blow to the whole post-War world order<\/a>, whose largely American architecture has been a frequent bone of contention for China.<\/p>\n
At Brookings, David Dollar argued that although \u201cin the short run, Brexit is a modest negative\u201d for China\u2019s economy, \u201cin the long run it is hard to see it as anything but a plus for China<\/strong><\/a> as the West continues to decline and China continues to rise.\u201d He adds, though, that \u201cBrexit does complicate China\u2019s currency policy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finally, from a larger geostrategic perspective, it would seem that China is the big winner from Brexit. Europe is likely to be a less influential player on the world stage and will be absorbed with internal issues of negotiating the British exit, controlling immigration, and keeping the periphery inside the eurozone. The United States is also likely to be distracted by these European challenges. This gives China more scope to pursue its reclamation activities in the South China Sea and to play divide and conquer with European states on various issues. For example, China would like to be recognized as a market economy, which is both symbolic and a practical matter for adjudicating anti-dumping cases. It is also negotiating investment treaties with both the United States and the EU, though so far China\u2019s offers have not been very attractive in the sense that they exempt many important sectors from open investment. A U.K. no longer in the European Union will presumably be anxious to strengthen its ties with China so it may well be willing to make compromises on market-economy status and investment deals that a unified Europe would not have made. Brexit itself may not be that important but it may prove to be a good signal of the decline of Europe and the rise of China. [Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
In Britain, meanwhile, the Leave campaign was accused of indulging in some information management of its own<\/a> after wiping the front page of its website<\/a>. As Human Rights Watch urged the country not \u201cto abandon its human rights commitments at home or abroad\u201d<\/a> as it leaves the E.U., a group of Conservative MPs<\/a> has suggested that it should reconsider the outgoing leadership\u2019s \u201cgolden relationship\u201d with China<\/a> in light of mounting human rights concerns. But in any case, LaTrobe Asia\u2019s Nick Bisley told The Guardian, \u201cBrexit condemns the golden thing to history, I think. Britain\u2019s stock has declined and Britain will be less important to China in its view of the world.\u201d At Strife, Lauren Dickey similarly warns<\/strong><\/a>:<\/p>\n
Assuming the two-year process to leave the EU proceeds without hiccup or member state opposition, once the UK is fully divorced from the EU, China will lose its access to the European market via Britain. The United Kingdom is no longer an attractive extension of the \u2018one belt, one road\u2019 initiative to link markets from Europe to China by land and sea. For existing plans to develop the \u2018northern powerhouse,\u2019 boosting economies in Manchester, Leeds, and Liverpool, Britain cannot expect the deep pockets of Chinese investors to save the day. Additionally, with London as host to more than 40 percent of the global market for currency trading \u2014 and the second largest offshore centre of renminbi \u2014 it will be difficult for the City to retain its lustre and gateway banking position in Europe. While offshore yuan trading centres are largely dictums of Chinese policy, the Brexit will, at a minimum, yield a significant re-think of Beijing\u2019s fiscal posture in the UK. [Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
British tycoon Richard Branson told The Guardian on Tuesday that \u201cI met with a group of Chinese businessmen yesterday morning who have invested heavily in England and who are now going to stop investing and withdraw investments they\u2019ve already made<\/a>.\u201d The Economist Intelligence Unit similarly warned<\/strong><\/a>:<\/p>\n
Besides, the political recriminations in the EU that will follow Brexit suggest bilateral discussions with China over such issues would be put onto the back-burner for a number of years. Arguably, China could view such a crisis as an opportunity for it to maximise influence and play off EU members against each other. However, the Chinese government generally views instability unfavourably, and would probably see any broader fallout in Europe\u2014such as steps towards breaking up the EU\u2014as highly undesirable. [Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
One likely visible effect in Britain is a greater influx of Chinese tourists<\/a> enjoying the weak pound. This trend could run hard into a rising wave of hate crimes against non-white or identifiably foreign people<\/a> in the wake of the vote.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Since directives are sometimes communicated orally to journalists and editors, who then leak them online, the wording published here may not be exact. The date given may indicate when the directive was leaked, rather than when it was issued. CDT does its utmost to verify dates and wording, but also takes precautions to protect the source. See\u00a0CDT\u2019s collection of Directives from the Ministry of Truth<\/a>\u00a0since 2011.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"