Chinese Media Is Subdued in the Face of North Korea-U.S. Standoff

ដកស្រង់ចេញពីសារព័ត៌មានអាមេរិក (The New York Times) ចេញផ្សាយនៅថ្ងៃទី២៣ ខែមេសា ឆ្នាំ២០១៧។

BEIJING — Commentators around the world are warning of a potential crisis on the Korean Peninsula. But inChina, where the state controls much of the news media, the headlines have been subdued.

Over the past two weeks, asNorth Koreahas tested missiles and the United States has threatened to send warships to the region, there was just one fleeting front page reference to the tensions in People’s Daily, the flagship newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party.

Experts say Beijing’s relative silence may be an attempt to placate bothKim Jong-unof North Korea and President Trump, as well as to prevent the Chinese public from panicking.

Here is a look at the themes dominating coverage of North Korea in the Chinese media, and what they reveal about Beijing’s attitude toward Mr. Kim and Mr. Trump.

China, as one of North Korea’s few remaining allies and its primary source offood and oil, has long been criticized for not doing more to rein in its volatile neighbor.

So the news media there seemed to rejoice when, following a recent meeting in Florida with PresidentXi Jinping, Mr. Trump told Fox News that “China’s trying to help us.”

A clip of the interviewwent viral in China, where headline writers liberally reinterpreted Mr. Trump’s comments. State-controlled news sites put words in his mouth. “China treats us so well,” one outlet quoted Mr. Trump as saying.

In the interview, Mr. Trump said of Mr. Xi: “What am I going to do, start a trade war with China in the middle of him working on a bigger problem, frankly, with North Korea?” But the Chinese media summed up that sentiment as: “And now you’re asking me to stab China in the back? Don’t you have a conscience?”

That remark also inspired memes like the one above, published by Sina Finance, a news portal. The image in the meme, already popular in China, is a visibly perturbed yellow bird, apparently representing Mr. Trump. The caption below it reads: “Don’t you have a conscience?”

Vocabulary (វាក្យសព្ទ)

Commentatorˈkɒm.ən.teɪ.tər/(N)areporterforradioor TV.( អ្នកនិយាយព័ត៌មាន )

Peninsula /pəˈnɪn.sjə.lə/ (N) alongpieceoflandthatsticksout from alargerareaoflandinto the seaor into alake.(ឧបទ្វីប)

Party ˈpɑː.ti/(N)anorganizationofpeoplewithparticularpolitical beliefsthatcompetesinelectionstotrytowinpositionsinlocalor nationalgovernment.(គណបក្ស)

Attempt /əˈtempt/ (N) theactoftryingto do something,especiallysomethingdifficult.(មានបំណង)

Attitude /ˈæt.ɪ.tʃuːd/ (N) afeelingoropinionabout something or someone, or a way ofbehavingthat iscausedby this.(ឥរិយាបទ)

interview /ˈɪn.tə.vjuː/ (N) ameetingin which someoneasksyouquestionstoseeif you are suitablefor ajoborcourse.(កិច្ចសំភាសន៍)

Trade /treɪd/ (N) theactivityofbuyingandselling, orexchanging,goodsand/or services betweenpeopleorcountries.(ពាណិជ្ជកម្ម)

Conscience /ˈkɒn.ʃəns/ (N) thepartof you thatjudgeshowmoralyourownactionsare and makes youfeelguiltyaboutbadthings that you have done or things youfeelresponsiblefor.(មនសិកា)