Chinese Students Demand Biden Apologize for UPenn Grad Speech

On NetEase:

Biden Claims One Cannot Breathe Free in China; Chinese Students Demand He Apologize

Global Times – United States Vice President Joe Biden gave a speech at America’s University of Pennsylvania graduation ceremony, claiming that China is a nation that cannot “think different” or “breathe free”, arousing resent from the Chinese students present. According to a May 22nd report [Chinese translation] by Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post, the school’s Chinese students have already drafted a letter, demanding that Biden make an official apology. As of the 22nd, already 343 people have signed, the letter to be first sent to the school’s president, then sent to Biden’s office.

Biden has always been widely known as a “big mouth”. The UK’s The Guardian claimed that Biden’s May 13th speech was “by far the funniest of the recent commencement addresses.” While talking about how “the Chinese are going to eat our lunch”, Biden’s speech changed and said, “China’s problems are immense, and they lack much of what we have, such as an open and fair legal system, vibrant venture capital markets, as well as innovative thinking”, “The key to all this is the ability to think different, but in one nation, you cannot think different, you cannot breathe free; In a nation that cannot think different, you are unable to challenge orthodoxy, because change only comes from challenging orthodoxy.” At the end of the speech, Biden twice mentioned China, as well as mentioning his 10-day visit to China in 2011 August.

South China Morning Post claims UPenn Wharton Business School graduating Chinese student Zhang Tianpu said: “I believe Biden should apologize for his inappropriate comments, he made those comments at commencement in the face of at least hundreds of Chinese people. It was a humiliating experience, and how can a graduation speech be this political?” Zhang expressed that he and his peers have already drafted a letter to Biden, demanding that Biden make an official apology. With regards to Biden’s comments, Zhang retorted: “My ancestors were challenging orthodoxy even before his ancestors got to America.” He also rebutted criticisms of him overreacting, saying “after four years of hard work and studies, the graduation speaker suddenly says to you, you and your nation suck. How would you feel?”

Biden’s office at present has not issued any comment. South China Morning Post says Biden has been attacked many times before due to inappropriate comments, once claiming in an exclusive interview that Russia is a “withering country”.

(Original Headline: American Vice President Claims China Cannot Breath Free; Chinese Students Demand He Apologize)

Comments on NetEase:

网易江苏省无锡市手机网友(114.224.*.*)：

Looks like these college students who went overseas and come back to be government officials will be government apes as well. Learn the West’s democracy, freedom of speech, robust legal system, perfected social institutions, and bring these back.

网易山西省太原市小店区手机网友 ip：221.204.*.* (responding to above)

Kim Jong-un studied abroad too and isn’t he now a complete hooligan as well? Stop dreaming.

网易浙江省衢州市手机网友(123.157.*.*)： (responding to above)

I think these overseas students are second-generation government officials [children of government officials], and what they represent are vested interests.

网易重庆市手机网友(27.8.*.*)： (responding to above)

That’s exactly what they are/represent.

网易新疆克拉玛依市手机网友(124.119.*.*)： (responding to above)

No matter how poor our motherland is, it is still our home, which you’ll come to understand once you go abroad. America is a country where racial discrimination is extremely severe. Even if you emigrate to America, they will not treat you as an American. Although many ethnic Chinese have immigrated, they still long for their homeland, not like some American running dogs [pro-US Chinese netizens] who can’t go abroad but still bark every day online.

网易广东省惠州市网友 [haro-wu]： (responding to above)

We didn’t say we want to emigrate to the United States. Those who emigrate to America are all your masters. Please differentiate, there’s nothing bad about the country, what’s bad is the ZF, and it is precisely because I love this country that I would point out the faults of this ZF. Your masters’ children are all American running dogs already. When this ZF’s shady aspects are criticized and exposed, instead of saying this, you instead call us American running dogs. My god, just what kind of pig brains do you have?

网易新疆克拉玛依市手机网友(124.119.*.*)： (responding to above)

Stick to the facts/don’t change the topic, I think the the things you’re saying are like those of a 3-year-old child. Being brainwashed by NetEase is what’s real, all day reporting those negative news to get eyeballs, clicks, and traffic.

网易新疆乌鲁木齐市手机网友(221.7.*.*)： (responding to above)

Fuck your mother, even Xinjiang produces wu mao< [referring to the above commenter’s location, Xinjiang province’s Karamay city]? Get the fuck away from me.

网易浙江省丽水市网友 [鸟有之乡乡长二舅他爷]： (responding to above)

[网易新疆克拉玛依市手机网友], do you remember the big fire there? In 1994, let the LD go first.

网易广东省手机网友 ip：117.136.*.*: (responding to above)

He is that LD.

网易辽宁省沈阳市网友 [dai_2000_66]：

Brother [referring to self] is only interested in this overseas student’s family background.

网易江西省手机网友 [冷眼看你嚣张]： (responding to above)

Internet Cultural Revolution?

网易山西省吕梁市手机网友 ip：124.165.*.*:

Those who can study abroad are generally the children of government officials or unscrupulous businessmen! They cannot grasp the social inequality and the law’s unfairness [in China]! Right now, we aren’t quite able to breathe freely in terms of rule of law, and cannot breath freely even more in terms of polluted air.

网易上海市徐汇区手机网友(116.232.*.*)：

They, in America, can demand other people’s Vice President to apologize for a few remarks, but when they come back, they may not even be able to demand that of a deputy county mayor.

网易江苏省泰州市手机网友(58.223.*.*)： (responding to above)

You dare even make a village head apologize? Just wait till your roof is removed in the middle of the night.

网易中国手机网友(117.136.*.*)： (responding to above)

[What the commenter above said] is correct [more accurate].

网易浙江省衢州市手机网友(123.157.*.*)： (responding to above)

A village head apologizing can even make headlines on NetEase.

网易贵州省贵阳市手机网友(111.178.*.*)： (responding to above)

[I] Support the student, defending his own and his nation’s dignity, way to go! That their just actions are widely vilified by NetEase netizens, I truly wonder what their [these NetEase netizens] motives are.

网易浙江省衢州市网友 [iloveyou444555666]： (responding to above)

When a country’s citizen’s don’t even have dignity, can the country have dignity?

zzzttzzz [网易江苏省无锡市网友]： (responding to above)

Shielding/justifying faults, the more you do it, the worse it is/becomes.

网易河南省洛阳市网友 [梁心难测]：

[I] Hope these noble and righteous Chinese students will first demand an apology from the principal who took little girls to a hotel!

网易福建省手机网友 [坐看云起时315]：

The feeling towards one’s Motherland is one where we ourselves can criticize it as we please but others insulting her is not acceptable. Seeing many comments all questioning the study abroad student for saying something, I truly feel sad for and ashamed of ourselves. I don’t love the Party, I don’t love the ZF, but I love the land where I was born and raised!

网易福建省宁德市网友 [小石头爱围脖]： (responding to above)

So would/will you come back after studying abroad?

xujunemail [网易广东省东莞市网友]:

What they say abroad is the truth, and when we return to the country, we can’t talk like this anymore.
If you do, then you’re subverting the government.

网易英国手机网友(82.132.*.*)的原贴：1

Let me say something on behalf of students studying abroad! Remember in 2008 when the Olympic torch relay was obstructed abroad? Who was it that used their own bodies to protect the group and protected national dignity?! After the Wenchuan Earthquake, us overseas students donated money and supplies, and no matter whose hands it all ended up in, at least we had the heart! What the Americans say is not false, we acknowledge this! But we could not stand for [him] criticizing our motherland in front of thousands of people!! No matter where we are, we always remember we are Chinese! Chinese people’s matters will be solved by ourselves! It’s not for you foreigners to criticize and mind [be backseat drivers]!

网易河南省网友 [苍火红莲]：

If Biden does not apologize, I suggest these patriotic students show their courage, tear up all the college diplomas earned in America, and those with green card cancel them and return to China, go to the neediest places in our motherland, [like the] rural areas, mines… there are many areas where good can be done! —-And if you don’t come back, then you’ll [be labeled a] Chinese traitor!

网易广东省深圳市手机网友(113.110.*.*)：

These overseas students do not know China better than the Vice President of United States of America! Kiddo, when you come back and try to make a living on your own, then you’ll understand that what he said is correct!

没有牙齿的楼主 [网易江苏省苏州市网友]: (responding to above)

You’re wrong, [commenter above], those who study abroad and come back are generally all second-generation government officials or second-generation rich, so would it still be the same [would they have the same experience trying to make a living on their own and reaching the same understandings about China]?