For example, during the anti-epidemic period, the city was also closed. The American media evaluated the closure of China as a "violation of human rights", while the Italian closure was a "great sacrifice for other countries". Another example is the recent attack on China on the Sri Lankan Internet. The Embassy of China in Sri Lanka responded positively to this on Twitter, and then the Twitter company blocked the official account of the Embassy of China in Sri Lanka. Obviously, this is not in line with the concept of "I don't agree with everything you say, but I defend your right to speak" that has been advocated by the West.
In response to the suppression of western public opinion, China also released the Report on Human Rights Violations in the United States in March this year, stating the defects and shortcomings of human rights in the United States from seven aspects: "Civil and political rights exist in name only, economic and social rights are not guaranteed, ethnic minorities are bullied and excluded, women face serious discrimination and violence, vulnerable groups are in a difficult situation, immigrants are treated inhumanely, and human rights in other countries are trampled on wantonly".
Generally speaking, the war of public opinion exists objectively at present. Formally, the West is on the offensive and China is on the defensive.
1. Why is there a public opinion war?
As for why there is a public opinion war, I think we need to think vertically and horizontally. Vertically speaking, the historical backgrounds of China and European and American countries are different, which shapes the different national characters of the East and the West.
(A) Europe and the United States "beggar-thy-neighbor" tradition
The total area of Europe is about1010.6 million square kilometers, which is almost the same as China's 9.6 million square kilometers. The population of Europe is about 740 million, which is half of that of China. But at present, there are 48 countries and regions in Europe, more than the provinces in China.
Not only now, Europe has been in a state of dispersion and division since Greek civilization for thousands of years, and there have been long-term struggles between Britain, France and Germany. Napoleon of France and Hitler of Germany also dealt a heavy blow to neighboring countries. In this case, the survival of European countries is based on self-protection, and neighboring countries will always threaten their own security. In the long run, it will form a "beggar-thy-neighbor" mentality. National security can only be achieved by independent struggle, so the tradition of beggar-thy-neighbor has shaped their "struggle" background.