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The Ts'an-k'ao Hsiao-hsi: How Well Informed are Chinese Officials about the Outside World?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 February 2009

Henry G. Schwarz
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Extract

In the continuing debate on whether to establish normal diplomatic relations with the government in Peking, those who favour such a step invariably assert that recognition would, besides other alleged advantages, reduce the risks of a war born of mutual ignorance. A clear presentation of this view is found in the recent Quaker proposals for a A New China Policy: “American public ignorance of contemporary China and Chinese ignorance of us are among the chief reasons for the tension and hostility between us. This is dangerous in itself, and it threatens the peace of the world.”

Type
Research Article
Information
The China Quarterly , Volume 27 , September 1966 , pp. 54 - 83
Copyright
Copyright © The China Quarterly 1966

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References

1 American Friends Service Committee, A New China Policy: Some Quaker Proposals (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965), p. 27Google Scholar.

2 This statement is based on information given by former and present employees whom I consider reliable. They report that since the late 1940s, AP has served one or more Communist papers in Hong Kong and that at present (March 1966), four Communist papers in Hong Kong subscribe to AP. The AP news service transmitted to these Communist Chinese newspapers and all other AP subscribers in Asia consists of more than 50,000 words daily. It contains general news, local Pacific news, sports, business news and features. Likewise, AP's radiophoto and airmailed newsphoto services are available to these Communist newspapers. However, A.P. officials flatly deny (as did Henry Hartzenbusch, chief of the Tokyo bureau, in a letter to the author dated March 10, 1966) any such dealings with the Chinese Communists.

3 King, Vincent V. S., A General Study of the Channels of Communication between Communist China and the Western World (mimeographed), Center for International Studies, M.I.T., 1964, p. 22Google Scholar.

4 Davison, W. Phillips, International Political Communication (New York: Praeger, 1963), p. 99Google Scholar. East European news agencies also have “reference information” bulletins for Party and government officials: see Buzek, Anthony, How the Communist Press Works (New York: Praeger, 1964), p. 189Google Scholar.

5 See The China Quarterly, No. 18 (04–06, 1964)Google Scholar.

6 As part of my preliminary work, I inquired about the TKHH from six institutions: the East Asian Institute of Columbia University, the Harvard-Yenching Library, the Hoover Institution, the Library of Congress, the Center of Modern Chinese Studies of the Toyo Bunko and the Union Research Institute. Except for the Union Research Institute which has two issues and the Toyo Bunko which has photocopies of these, the respondents were either unaware of TKHH's existence or they knew of it but had no issues. All American institutions contacted felt that no issues are available in American university libraries. Moreover, one of the foremost authorities on Communist China stated that he “never heard of anyone outside of the mainland having copies.”

7 Headlines are capitalised; sub-headlines are in lower case. Information within brackets supplied by me. Under each item, source(s), placets), date(s) and total linage (on basis of standard 1½ inches width) are listed.

8 Items not dealing with foreign news or foreign comments on events in Communist China are omitted.

8a The NCNA home office's news output is sent to London via radioteletype where it is distributed in the form of daily bulletins from 76 Chancery Lane. The publisher's name is listed as “S. Chinque.”

9 In this and all similar references, the Arabic numeral refers to the day in February 1960 and the Roman numeral to the page in TKHH.

10 It is probable that several AFRTS stations in East and South-east Asia are monitored at any given time, depending on atmospheric conditions. The stations in Tokyo and Seoul are likely to be monitored more often than others because of location and wattage. On the other hand, it is doubtful that the very weak station in Taipei is monitored.

11 It is not clear whether this designation referred to NHK or some other station.

12 Davison, pp. 327–328.

13 The raw figures, based on a standard width of 1½ inches, were: Reuters 127 7/8 inches, UPI 110 3/8 inches, AP 110 inches and AFP 104½ inches.

14 Classification by political orientation is according to Mallory, Walter H. (ed.), Political Handbook of the World 1961 (New York: Harper, 1961)Google Scholar.

15 It is interesting to note that in the NCNA Bulletin's Index, arranged by regions, this item was not listed under South-east Asia but under China.

18 The original article can be found in the New York Times, February 1, p. 12, under the title “Burma Pact Held Setback to India”.

17 The other two items reported New Year's celebrations in mainland China and the United States.

18 For a translation of the full headline on Lippmann's article, see p. 71. His article was briefly cited for the Chinese people by People's Daily the following day.