Editor's note: the following article is translated from a Chinese commentary published by Xinhua. The translation is not representative of the views or the opinions of Chinaelections.net. To read the original commentary in Chinese, please click here.

Recently, at the Deutsche Welle (German Voice), the director of the Department of Chinese radio was suspended for saying "too many good words for China". Before this incident, multiple pro-China articles were dismissed, proving  that Germany's freedom of expression was merely a joke. What is more worrying is that anti-China sentiment may be hiding in the shadow of Nazi racism.

The author, a professor of the Institute of International Relations in Beijing, Lian Yuru, who lived and conducted a long term study in Germany, had a good impression of Germany. She has found however, that recently the perception of China has turned negative, with some Germans even having scathing criticisms of the Chinese government. She was surprised at the change of opinion within the two year time span.

In fact, she believes that Sino-German relations have been changing, not on the part of the Chinese, but on the side of the Germans. German politicians and media have formed a rapid deterioration of China, with politicians and the media distorting and inciting.

The suspension of Zhang Danhong is a latest example. Her suspension was caused by political considerations and racist tendencies. Included in media reports against Zhang Danhong is Zhang's statement that "The last few decades have seen the emergence of the Chinese government as a premier player on the world stage in the advocacy of human rights. Not only has it brought more than 400 million people out of poverty, but it has done more than any other country to advance human rights." In reponse to Zhang Danhong's public statement, an official spokesperson for the Republic of Germany called Zhang Danhong's statement "an unparalleled disaster," and went on to state plainly that "Her[Zhang Danhong's] actions show that she is proven to be unfit for employment at German Voice".

The anti-China sentiment in Germany is getting stronger and Zhang Danhong's incident was no accident. A "pro-China" report by the German sports news agency had been removed from the office; in the Beijing Olympic Games, a German television show fabricated a documentary called "China, a doping world power" with no concrete evidence in order to discredit China. Earlier in 2007, Germany's "Der Spiegel" magazine reported on a series of Chinese acts of disgrace and Chinese people that had been indicted of crimes in Germany. This series of events have made clear that the changes of the political climate in Germany have made objective German media reporting on China more and more difficult; reporting with no scruples, rumor mongering and discrediting China has been in great demand. This deliberate targeting of Chinese is not only derogatory, but also reminds people of the Nazi Germany.

The Nazis were Germany's largest stain in history. Many historians agree that while Germans condemn Nazis, at the same time, they wonder how it was possible that so many Germans could have been so easily incited by Hitler, zealously pursuing this politician's anti-Semitic killing of Jews. However, in the past two years a rapidly changing attitude toward China has emerged from German society, yet Germans have not been able to deal with the one-sided media problems and political beliefs. In recent years, due to an increase in unemployment, Nazi skinheads have re-emerged in Germany, accusing foreigners when social problems occur. This trend shows a rise in racism, and is founded in a series of anti-China movements in German media. But Chinese people do not expect Germans to change.

This trend of the rising racism reflects the anti-China sentiment in some of the German media. In the past, Sino-German relations were extremely stable, both sides benefiting from mutual cooperation. Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volkswagen, Siemens were all brands that were liked greatly by Chinese consumers.   However, the current German anti-China trend has cast a shadow over the further development of Sino-German relations.