Beijing's true colors

The Big Lie is as alive and well in Beijing as in Belgrade. It should come as no surprise, after weeks of such propaganda, that many ordinary Chinese now believe that the (Chinese Belgrade) Embassy bombing was deliberate.

Chinese and Serbian officials apparently hope that they can exploit this latest NATO mistake to extract concessions in the ongoing war. (Serbian President) Milosevic offered a phony deal on Monday, which Secretary of State Madeleine Albright appropriately rejected. There can be no peace in Kosovo until Mr. Milosevic withdraws all his forces, allowing the deportees to return under NATO protection.

China's cynical manipulation of the embassy bombing may have consequences that the regime does not foresee. One of those might be a clearer understanding among outsiders of the true nature of the Chinese regime.

-- The Washington Post