Former Richmond Conservative MP Kenny Chiu is worried the spread of unbalanced news and misinformation from Chinese media will take away from the complete story when it comes to global concerns.
Chiu said that, while not all Chinese outlets and radio programs are operating without “an expected level of professionalism” and a balance in commentary and reporting, some stations are “polarizing certain information and news” and not providing the full story of what’s happening.
For example, a commentator with AM1320, a Richmond-based Cantonese radio station, recently said Western governments are “robbing Russia and confiscating all its assets and wealth from the Russian oligarchs,” according to Chiu, who translated a small audio clip that he heard on the radio.
“We know that that is not true because governments are just freezing the assets … and trying to exert pressure on these influencers to make sure Putin will stop bombing people in Ukraine,” said Chiu.
“It pains me to see that the narratives being used by Vladimir Putin are repeated, broadcast or even amplified and used (by some Chinese people in Canada).”
Chiu added some commentary on Chinese media such as AM1320 has been “pro-China and anti-Canada and anti-West.”
“I’m afraid that they are becoming more and more of a platform that repeats and regurgitates and amplifies certain point of views, and they’re not representing the complete Canadian perspectives. I think as media, it’s important for them to present the two sides,” Chiu said.
“The Ukrainian-Russian war, the invasion of the Russians, it’s only a catalyst and only one of the examples that I find disturbing as a Canadian of Chinese descent.”
Meanwhile, many people on the Chinese forum Vanpeople have begun to worry about their own assets being “taken away” after reading and hearing about the news that “Western governments are taking away the assets of rich Russian people in Western countries.”
In a forum post, translated by the Richmond News, the poster said Chinese people are working hard to make money, to buy a house and make a living.
However, they questioned if their “Chinese assets in Western countries” would be confiscated if China also participated in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
“According to a report, the U.K. has already frozen the assets of many Russian oligarchs,” reads the post.
“Do you think our assets might be taken away in the end?”
Several other forum goers also replied with similar concerns, while others commented that they should not worry because they “are not a billionaire.”
