Basketball Brawl Symbolized Growing U.S.-China Tensions 美中球场对抗--自由与专制的不可调和的冲突

1938/Joe Louis vs Max Schmeling II 1938年美拳王路易斯与纳粹德国拳王施迈令的决斗

陈凯博客： www.kaichenblog.blogspot.com 文章摘录 Excerpts from Article: “So the basketball match was symbolic but not in the way sponsors had intended. Instead of symbolizing U.S.-China friendship, it symbolized the growing tensions between the two countries occasioned by China’s increasingly assertive and brutal treatment of its own people as well as its neighbors. Suffice it to say no dictatorship encourages good sportsmanship, and China is no exception: Its government–in common with regimes from Nazi Germany to Soviet Russia–tends to see international athletic contests as a way to assert its superiority over competing countries and to tout the advantages of its own political system. 这场篮球赛（美中篮球赛/美大学队与八一队）真是一场象征性的对抗。 并不像比赛组办人所想的那样：它并不象征什么“美中友谊”而是象征了中共党朝的日益粗暴邪恶的国际行为与美国自由价值的不可调和的冲突。 我们很容易看到专制极权都倾向于用体育施加反价值的强暴。 中共党朝也不例外： 中国政府完全有如纳粹德国与共产苏联 -- 用国际体坛为其合法性站台，并施压世界将专制的反价值用体育比赛转播。 The vulnerability of a system like China’s is that while it does deliver some material goods, it is also deeply illegitimate because it is not founded on the consent of the governed. That lack of democratic accountability means office-holders tend to behave in ways that, when they become public, revolt the population and lead to calls for change. One of the biggest complaints the Chinese people have is about the corruption of their elites–and that, too, was revealed in another bit of unwitting symbolism. 中国专制制度的脆弱在于尽管它能暂时造成经济成长，它并不是一个合法的政体：它是一个没有“被施政者”同意的，并用强权暴力执政的非法政体。 这种没有程序与道德合法基点的政体是个摇摇欲坠的海市蜃楼。 中国民众的普遍不满是政府官僚的腐败与无法无天。” ---------------------------------------------------------- Basketball Brawl Symbolized Growing U.S.-China Tensions 美中球场对抗--自由与专制的不可调和的冲突 Max Boot | @MaxBoot 08.21.2011 - 9:00 AM 1938 | Joe Louis vs Max Schmeling II  Youtube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJGOADcmwS4 The Georgetown Hoyas came to Beijing for a “China-U.S. Basketball Friendship Match.” It didn’t quite work out that way. Instead, the Hoyas’ game on Thursday against the Bayi Military Rockets–a professional team made up entirely of People’s Liberation Army soldiers–ended in a vicious, bench-clearing brawl. The Washington Post notes that “an unidentified Bayi player pushed Georgetown’s Aaron Bowen through a partition to the ground before repeatedly punching the sophomore guard while sitting on his chest,” while “Georgetown senior center Henry Sims had a chair tossed at him by an unidentified person.” Check out this picture of a Chinese player stomping a defenseless American collegian lying on the floor. The Post also observes that “the game-ending fracas marked the second time that both benches emptied in a rugged contest marred by fouls, an inordinate number of which went against the Hoyas. By halftime, Bayi had 11 fouls while Georgetown had 28″–which suggests the Chinese referees were hardly impartial. So the basketball match was symbolic but not in the way sponsors had intended. Instead of symbolizing U.S.-China friendship, it symbolized the growing tensions between the two countries occasioned by China’s increasingly assertive and brutal treatment of its own people as well as its neighbors. Suffice it to say no dictatorship encourages good sportsmanship, and China is no exception: Its government–in common with regimes from Nazi Germany to Soviet Russia–tends to see international athletic contests as a way to assert its superiority over competing countries and to tout the advantages of its own political system. The vulnerability of a system like China’s is that while it does deliver some material goods, it is also deeply illegitimate because it is not founded on the consent of the governed. That lack of democratic accountability means office-holders tend to behave in ways that, when they become public, revolt the population and lead to calls for change. One of the biggest complaints the Chinese people have is about the corruption of their elites–and that, too, was revealed in another bit of unwitting symbolism. Gary Locke, a Chinese-American former governor, is the incoming U.S. ambassador in Beijing. On his way to his new assignment, he stopped at a Starbucks in the Seattle airport with his son to buy some refreshments. A picture of Locke toting a backpack and paying for his own beverage subsequently appeared on the Internet–and caused a sensation in China where people have a hard time believing a senior official could do such mundane tasks for himself. In China, where the imperial tradition remains strong, even junior bureaucrats are relieved of such petty annoyances by endless factotums who cater to them as if they were mandarins in the emperor’s court. These two symbols–one of thuggishness, the other of humility–say much about the state of the two countries today and are worth keeping in mind for the future. 陈凯博客： www.kaichenblog.blogspot.com The Politics Behind the China-Georgetown Basketball Fiasco 在美中篮球比赛群殴的背后 New America Media, Question & Answer, Peter Schurmann, Posted: Aug 19, 2011 Editor's Note: (A 'friendly' basketball game in China between Georgetown University's team and China's Bayi team (drawn from the People's Liberation Army) took a decidedly unfriendly turn this week when the game was ended due to a full-court brawl. New America Media's Peter Schurmann interviewed Tom Gold, Professor of Sociology at the University of California Berkeley, to understand the political ramifications of the conflict. Gold has spent the past thirty years writing on developments across the Pacific Rim, including China and Taiwan.) What impact do you see this having on relations between the two countries? I don't see any impact of this brawl in the short term. I think it is symptomatic of a lot of underlying tensions in the relationship, in particular the military ties between the two sides. It is not insignficant that the Chinese team was the People's Liberation Army (PLA) team. The team's name "Bayi" means "August 1," the day of the founding of the PLA, which was commemorated only a few weeks prior to the game. Also, though this is not an issue in Sino-American relations, I think the racial element cannot be overlooked, though I can't explain why this factor might have triggered such an outburst. The Bayi team seems to have a reputation as bullies in any event. Some in the commentariat are equating this outburst to the youth-led movements in the Middle East, London, Israel and so on. Although there is plenty of evidence of dissatisfaction over a broad range of issues among many young people in China, especially the privileged ones who can vent on the Internet, I wouldn't overemphasize that aspect of this brawl, including the involvement of spectators. It would be hard to decide if they were primarily venting anger at their own elite or thumbing their noses at what they are being told is a declining, but still arrogant power, the U.S. How do you reconcile images of Joe Biden arriving in Beijing and speaking of a new relationship between the U.S. and China with images of China's military basketball team and fans attacking American players? I think it might be seen as evidence of a struggle within the Chinese elite - both individuals and institutions - over how to move forward in relations with the U.S. I assume Biden was hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and there are known tensions between Beijing's diplomatic branch and the military (as in the U.S., I might add.) It is possible that some military folks wanted to embarrass the Foreign Ministry, and possibly Vice President Xi Jinping too, by provoking an incident with an American group, however insignificant a college basketball team might be in the larger scheme of global geopolitics. There are a lot of issues exacerbating U.S.-China relations these days, most of which have a PLA element, so it is also possible that some in the defense establishment wanted to send a signal to the U.S. that they are a rising power and are not afraid of playing hardball (though that's another sport!). Issues where the U.S. and China are literally rubbing up against each other that fit into this category include: Taiwan, Japan, the Koreas, South China Sea, and the new Chinese aircraft carrier (launched last week). Let's not forget the debt issue where the Chinese really seem to think they are in the catbird seat and don't want us to forget it. Is the Chinese leadership unified in its approach to handling relations with the United States? No, as I suggested earlier. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs seems to want to keep relations on an even keel while the military appears bent on showing off its new prowess (equipment, ability to project power, alliances around the world) and embarrassing the diplomats. We have seen similiar tensions in the U.S. between the State Department and Pentagon - how do you NOT appear soft on a potential foe while also trying to deepen ties which can lead to improved understanding of each other and the emerging rules of the game? Not an easy row to hoe. You had the Chinese test driving their refurbished Ukranian aircraft carrier right before the Biden visit, and recall that they suddenly tested a stealth fighter during Secretary of Defense Gates's final visit. All of these seem to be signals both to the U.S. (and our allies) and other players within the Chinese elite that the PLA must be consulted on issues in international relations, even those which ostensibly do not have a defense component.