A shoe-toss for China
Premier Wen Jiabao gets the Bush shoe treatment in Britain
“You know the drill,” said Jimmy Orr in The Christian Science Monitor. “If you don’t like someone’s speech—throw your footwear at him.” Like George W. Bush in Iraq, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao was the victim of a shoe attack at Britain’s Cambridge University (see video). Due to poor aim, Wen didn’t need Bush’s “ninja-like moves” to avoid the sneaker, but while Bush cracked a joke, Wen "was not nearly as amused.”
And why should he be? asked The Middle East Times in an editorial. Freedom of speech is important, but “we draw the line at freedom of shoe throwing.” It is surely tempting to tell authoritarian leaders like Wen “to shut up” when they hypocritically lecture about democracy, but this is too much. At least the British thrower, unlike his Iraqi inspiration, wasn’t a journalist.
He also wasn’t British, said Richard Spencer in Britain’s The Telegraph, he was German. So while Wen was “very nice to say that the shoe-throwing incident won’t affect UK-China friendship,” it would be irresponsible to blame Britain for the behavior of a foreign guest. The thrower's homeland, though, has at least one reason to be embarrassed: “Why did he miss so badly?”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Wen's “extraordinary” tour of Western capitals has been unsettling, said The Times of London in an editorial, but not because of the shoe toss. Wen’s “Journey of Confidence” tour would have been unnecessary, and uncharacteristic, a year ago as Chinese businesses boomed. If China’s engine of economic growth is at risk of sputtering out, that’s a global problem.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
'Musk's reliance on China draws rising scrutiny'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Biba: the story of a 'legendary emporium'
The Week Recommends Brand's 60th anniversary is being marked with retrospective celebrating the 'iconic shop's cultural importance'
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
How the Russia-Ukraine conflict has spread to Africa
The Explainer Ukraine is attempting to strengthen its alliances on the continent to counter Russia's growing presence
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published