The Communist Party of China aired the Vice Presidential debate Wednesday evening but took precautions that its citizens didn’t hear too much of the truth when it was Mike Pence’s turn to speak about China, though Kamala Harris’s response was nothing to worry about.
According to Globe and Mail Beijing Correspondent Nathan VanderKlippe, the CCP censored the debate when a question on China was asked, putting on a “no signal please stand by” message. The signal returned, however, when Harris began speaking.
China censored Pence’s comments on China. Signal returned when Harris began talking again. pic.twitter.com/0VEMAqDA95
— Nathan VanderKlippe (@nvanderklippe) October 8, 2020
What it looks like when China censors a vice-presidential debate after a question about China is asked - and then lifts the blackout when conversation appears set to move on. pic.twitter.com/JgV5yEq7JU
— Nathan VanderKlippe (@nvanderklippe) October 8, 2020
China censored Mike Pence, but let their people hear Kamala Harris.
— Tim Murtaugh - Download the Trump 2020 app today! (@TimMurtaugh) October 8, 2020
What’s that tell you? https://t.co/B7EHD4I6Df
“We have no more complicated or consequential foreign relationship than the one with China,” moderator Susan Page began. “It is a huge market for American agricultural goods. It’s a potential partner in dealing with climate change in North Korea and in a video tonight, President Trump again, blamed it for the Coronavirus saying China will pay. Vice President Pence, how would you describe our fundamental relationship with China? Competitors? Adversaries? Enemies?”
While Pence first took time to address an earlier question, when he did turn to responding to Page the first thing he did is lay the blame at China’s feet.
“China is to blame for the coronavirus and President Trump is not happy about it,” Pence said. “He’s made that very clear, made it clear again today that China and the world health organization did not play straight with the American people. They did not let our personnel into China to get information on the Coronavirus until the middle of February. Fortunately, President Trump in dealing with China from the outset of this administration, standing up to China that had been taking advantage of America for decades in the wake of Joe Biden’s cheerleading for China. President Trump made that decision before the end of January to suspend all travel from China. And again, the American people deserve to know Joe Biden opposed President Trump’s decision to suspend all travel from China. He said it was hysterical.”
Harris’s response at one point even spoke about how China’s Xi Jinping is more respected than Trump. No wonder they turned the signal back on.
“Susan, the Trump administration’s perspective and approach to China has resulted in the loss of American lives, American jobs, and America’s standing,” she said before telling viewers a lie about the White House getting rid of a pandemic response unit. “We now are looking at 210,000 Americans who have lost their lives. Let’s look at the job situation. We mentioned before, the trade deal, the trade war, they wanted to call it with China. It resulted in the loss of over 300 manufacturing jobs and a manufacturing recession and the American consumer paid thousands of dollars, more for goods because of that failed war that they called it. Then let’s talk about standing. Pew, a reputable research firm has done an analysis that shows that leaders of all of our formerly allied countries have now decided that they hold in greater esteem and respect Xi Jinping the head of the Chinese communist party than they do Donald Trump. The President of the United States, the commander in chief of the United States. This is where we are today because of a failure of leadership by this administration.”