Beijing Newspeak

1) Set a blurred scene in which a senior official - a member of the Politburo Standing Committee is ideal - implores an unspecified layer of society to embrace an abstract noun. Note: always start the report with the official’s name and clarify that he is a member of the CPC and not any other party.

Jiamusi, Heilongjiang Province, June 9 (Xinhua) – Wu Guanzheng, the top discipline official of the Communist Party of China (CPC), has called for earnest efforts to protect the interests of the people.

2) Quickly bestow upon the official his full title and sum up his recent inspection tour by providing a wide range of destinations under which most places in the area could be classified - “administration center” is always welcomed.

Wu, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau, visited state-owned farms, enterprises, villages and administration centers in the northeast Chinese city during a tour from June 5-8.

 3) Provide the official’s second full job title and hint at some recent unsavoury events that have occurred in the region, which have in some way had a negative impact on the local people.

The senior Party official, who is also secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, was in the city to inspect how local authorities have dealt with some incidents involving illegal activities detrimental to the interests of local people.

4) Imply that local officials have not been doing enough for the people under their jurisdiction. Paint a picture of the senior official slapping the back of his subordinates’ hands with a ruler. Make sure the senior official talks about “people” a lot even if it means awkward repetition. Reiterate “life” so readers think of death. Indicate that local officials have not been taking social problems seriously. Throw in the vague notion that local residents have suffered some kind of loss and that problems remain.

Wu urged local officials to pay attention to the life of people and try to improve the life of the people, so as to build up closer ties between the Party and the people. He urged local officials to be serious in resolving protruding problems that have brought losses to interests of the people.

5) List a series of problems which are seemingly unique to this particular region. Confirm that rural people have suffered losses as a result of fraudulent activities.

Special programs should be launched to check problems regarding food security, labor safety and fraudulent activities that brought financial losses to local farmers.

6) Detail three main areas in which there has been a lot of illegal activity. Chuck in an “-ism” to finish.

The senior official pledged to severely punish illegal activities in the fields of education, medical service and environmental protection. He also told officials to avoid formalism and bureaucracy.

7) Look back at the finished article, take stock and choose a nondescript headline (preferably one that has been used before - check on Google) which will ensure it is completely ignored by everyone except the People’s Daily.

Senior official calls for protecting people’s interests

It was probably just a routine inspection during which Wu Guanzheng said the same thing as he would have done if he was visiting the opposite end of the country in Yunnan. But the ability to suggest something more sinister through the use of obscure language is remarkable.

Unlike my colleagues who have to translate this kind of report, I have the luxury of slapping “NOT POLISHED - ADVISE AGAINST RELEASE” on the front cover followed by “this report does far more harm than good etc”. Unfortunately if the story involves one of the members of the Standing Committee there is often no choice for the senior editors but to release it.

Although, last week I did manage to reject a similar report concerning Jia Qinglin, Chairman of the People’s Political Cosultative Conference. I’m not sure what that says about Jia’s waning political influence ahead of the upcoming Party congress … Absolutely nothing actually (depends on the senior editor’s identity and mood) but just thought I’d mention it.