Defanging History at Aigun

For many Chinese, the current policy of cozying up with Russia evokes bitter historical memories. The wayward public sentiment, if unchecked, could undermine support for China's leadership. It becomes imperative that history be defanged to reduce the past's interference with the present.

A week after CCTV scrapped live coverage of the Moscow military parade at the last moment, the same state television network announced in its evening news that the town of Aihui in Heilongjiang Province is reverting to the old name Aigun. Some observers quickly intuited changes in the relations with Russia. For example, Wang Zhanyang, a professor at the Central Socialism Academy, writes in his widely followed blog that the name change could portend shifts in foreign policy. In a prepared counter-attack , the Global Times swiftly put down such speculation as "naïve," because history notwithstanding, pragmatic Chinese know the value of Russia for a rising China. Here comes the "cat meme" of Deng Xiaoping: It matters not whether the bear is red or white, as long as it does not stand in the way of China's rise.