Believe it or not, China likely allowed Snowden’s exit as a favor to the U.S.
By Max Fisher
June 24, 2013 at 4:12 pm
... Lost in the bizarre episode and subsequent outrage in Washington, though, is the fact that this decision, if made in Beijing, was most likely intended not as a slap to the United States but a favor. That it was instead construed as an insult – as well as Beijing’s apparent belief that it might well be thanked – are a reminder of the unique ability of China and the United States to speak past one another when it matters most.
White House spokesman Jay Carney lambasted the Hong Kong government for apparently aiding in Snowden’s flight to Moscow, saying that the “decision unquestionably has a negative impact on the U.S.-China relationship.” He added, “The Chinese have emphasized the importance of building mutual trust, and we think that they have dealt that effort a serious setback.” And many have taken this as evidence of distrust. As one prominent journalist put it on CNBC, for example, “Clearly the Chinese hate us to even let him out of the country.”
Take a moment, though, to consider how this might look from Beijing. Typically, when the United States and China argue about transferring a high-profile and politically sensitive individual between their custodies, it’s a Chinese dissident whom the U.S. wants to grant asylum. Those cases are often perceived as deeply embarrassing for China, although Beijing has increasingly learned to live with them.
Perhaps Chinese authorities saw this as a rare reversal: an American political dissident looking for asylum in Hong Kong, which despite its special status is a part of China. In the Chinese government worldview, granting asylum would have been the real slap to the United States ...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/06/24/believe-it-or-not-china-likely-allowed-snowdens-exit-as-a-favor-to-the-u-s/
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