Southern People Weekly Interview: Lee Kaifu on Rumor Mongering & Society

Southern People Weekly Interview: Lee Kaifu on Rumor Mongering & Society
Sep 17, 2013 By eChinacities.com

Editor’s note: The translated article below offers snippets from a recent Southern People Weekly interview with Lee Kaifu, the ex Google China chief and China’s most influential voice on Chinese social media. The interview touches upon a wide range of topics, from the recent crackdown on rumor mongering to the Charles Xue arrest to his views on Chinese society.

In an interview with Southern People Weekly, Lee Kaifu said that after being silenced on Sina Weibo, many people repeatedly attacked him online, calling him an “American dog” and urging him to “run back to America”. Others called him a “Taibazi” (derogatory term for people from Taiwan) and fabricated malicious rumors claiming he was a pedophile, leaking secrets and spying for the US. There were also those who accused him of being a spy for the Guomindang claiming his Taiwanese heritage was “proof” he was a spy. In response to these allegations, Lee Kaifu specifically wrote a long response on Weibo to clear his name. To his dismay however, people not only refused to acknowledge their mistakes, they continued post similar allegations.

Southern People Weekly: There’s been a lot of coverage on mainstream media of the crackdown on rumor-mongering recently. Internet users like “Qin Huohuo” (秦火火) were arrested for fabricating rumors. How do you view this method of dealing with online rumor mongering?

Lee Kaifu: I don’t understand Chinese law all too well but punishing rumor mongers is a good thing. There should be discussions on how to justly punish rumor mongers. Some people believe that victims should sue the perpetrator as a way of balancing rumor-mongering and freedom of speech. Weibo does in fact currently have a problem with rumors and that needs to be rectified. In my opinion, how to go about doing that is a procedural and justice issue of the law. But at the same time there should also be data and a basis for the measure.

Southern People Weekly: What’s your opinion on the arrest of Xue Manzi (Charles Xue)?

Lee Kaifu: When the arrest occurred I didn’t actually know much about it. However, after Hu Xijin’s (a nationalistic journalist and editor of the Global Times) Weibo post (Note: Hu reminded those who intend to challenge the government to be clean) I was a little surprised by the content and tone of his reminders.

Southern People Weekly: Some people say you previously reposted many Qin Huohuo posts and are now scrambling to delete them all.

Lee Kaifu: CCTV can spin the story from any angle they like, that’s their right. But when people immediately come out and speculatively say “Have you seen the news reports? Lee Kaifu is definitely connected to Qin Huohuo!”, then that’s rumor mongering. I’m also a victim, so should I go and sue those people?

Creating rumors is a malicious act; it has harmed the Ministry of Railways and the Red Cross. But please also tend to the damage inflicted on Lee Kaifu, okay? I think there needs to be equality. I totally support anti-rumor mongering but I hope that it can become more objective.

Today I posted a Weibo asking who these rumor mongers really are. Actually there is an answer. We can find out through mathematical calculations. Sina Weibo has a report abuse mechanism which finds out who the rumor mongers are. All you have to do is list out the data and evidence and look at who the culprits are.

Southern People Weekly: What does your Weibo reflect?

Lee Kaifu: I probably have some opinions which when posted can help society advance. That’s something I’m willing to do. However, I won’t insist that all entrepreneurs shoulder this responsibility.

Southern People Weekly: Based on your personal evaluation of society, do you think that times have changed?

Lee Kaifu: All I can say is that China is stronger, people are more confident and the blind worshipping of overseas has cooled down – these are some of the pathological changes in society. However, the irrationality of the past, the anger and swearing, these haven’t changed.

Southern People Weekly: You’ve been in China for so many years and have slowly become influential. What do you think is most important thing?

Lee Kaifu: I hope it’s honesty; I don’t know if that’s a valid answer. From the first day I came back, I’ve been hoping that the things I do can create a better future for China’s youth. I think this is a responsibility I have to bear and it’s also what my parents wanted. The first time I came to the Mainland I felt a little apologetic, thinking I have a good life and owe then something. While no person does each and every act completely honestly all the time, the person will know whether it was honest and it will naturally show. Others will see that he’s not a con man and that the matter was carried out wholeheartedly.

Source: ifeng.com

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Keywords: crackdown on rumor mongering Lee Kaifu

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