BEIJING, April 16 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Foreign Ministry lodged a solemn
representation with the Beijing office of Cable News Network (CNN) here on
Wednesday evening, condemning the network as "without any professional
reputation".
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao, who is also the
Director-General of the Ministry's Information Department, said that a statement
issued by CNN on Tuesday failed to apologize for its host Jack Cafferty's
remarks, which maliciously attacked the Chinese people and seriously violated
the professional ethics of journalism.
"CNN's ulterior motive to target the Chinese government and continue to
mislead public opinion as well as deceive the Chinese people will never
succeed", Liu said in a written statement issued late on Wednesday, stressing
that justice would be on the side of the Chinese people.
Cafferty said in a TV show on April 9 that the Chinese products are "junk"
and the Chinese people "basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they've been
for the last 50 years".
Cafferty's remarks drew indignation from Chinese at home and abroad, and
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu demanded an apology from CNN as
well as Cafferty himself.
CNN then issued a statement on Tuesday saying "it was not Mr. Cafferty's
nor CNN's intent to cause offence to the Chinese people, and CNN would apologize
to anyone who has interpreted the comments in this way". However, the network
stated that Cafferty was offering his "strongly held" opinion of the Chinese
government, not China's people.
"Journalistic professionals should abide by their ethics, and they don't
have the privilege to slander or rail at anybody or any government", Liu said in
the statement, noting that CNN's recent reporting programs completely went
against the principles of being objective and balanced that the network often
claimed as its basic standards for news coverage.
"We once again solemnly urge CNN and Cafferty to take back the vile remarks
and make a sincere apology to all Chinese people", Liu stressed.
