Penchant For Secrecy Harming China’s Image

The Chinese government has a culture of secrecy. In the effort to protect delicate information, officials may lie. A perfect example was the explosion at the Jilin Petrochemical Company, and subsequent pollution of the Songhua River. A concerted effort to obscure the nature and magnitude of the disaster suggests that China has a problem. In the name of social stability, China has been lying or hiding the truth from itself and its citizens. However, on China’s own admission accidents and disasters caused some 210,000 deaths and major environmental damage last year. The economic toll of these events needs to be factored into accounts of China’s economic success. Secondly, in an increasingly globalized world, China’s dishonest information management can aversely affect other countries. Russia didn’t find out about the contamination of the Songhua until two weeks after the accident. China needs to represent itself truthfully out of obligation to its own citizens and the rest of the world. – YaleGlobal