Journalist Nick Wang. Photo / Mark Mitchell
I've just come from a protest at the front of Parliament against human rights abuses in China. One of the guest speakers was the former diplomat Chen Yonglin who defected when he was first secretary, political affairs, in Australia, which is a reasonably significant defection.
When he talks about
the spy network the Chinese Government operates overseas, you know he is speaking with inside knowledge.
The Government put up first-term backbencher Maryan Street to counter the accusations that New Zealand has "timid and subservient approach," as Peter Dunne put it, to the emerging economic giant.
Street was a natural choice. She has credibility and a strong track record on support of human rights issues and, dare I say it, not senior enough to offend the Chinese.
National didn't put up anyone to speak.
Labour, like most western Governments has, an ambivalent attitude to China as it embraces capitalism - without democracy.
It was expected by the West that China's increasing move to free market economics would lead to democracy.
The West's dilemma is explored in an excellent book I picked up in Washington in March, The China Fantasy: How our Leaders Explain Away Chinese Repression, by journalist James Mann.
It was recommended by Richard V, Allen, sometime resident of the Gibbston Valley. Before ending up as Ronald Regan's national security adviser, he started life a lower level official in the Nixon Administration at the time Washington opened up to Beijing.
Press Gallery associate member Nick Wang spoke at the rally as well. He is the editor of the Capital Chinese Times, a Chinese language newspaper in Wellington. Few had heard of him until he was prevented this year from being allowed into a photo opportunity in the Beehive earlier this year between Michael Cullen and Chinese vice-premier Zeng Peiyan, on the say-so of the Chinese.
Since then, Wang's activism has been very apparent and is creating some discussion in the Press Gallery about where boundaries lie.
Today's rally was advertised on a poster, featuring Nick and friends with gags over their mouths, which he posted throughout Wellington.
It is one thing to be an advocacy journalist, and there have been plenty of those in the gallery, it is another to use membership of the Press Gallery as a political platform.
