BEIJING (Reuters) -China on Monday accused organisers of an exhibition in Thailand of distorting Chinese policies on Tibet, Xinjiang and Hong Kong after the show’s co-curator said artworks were removed or altered at Beijing’s request.
The exhibition, which opened on July 24, “promoted the fallacies of so-called ‘Tibetan independence’, ‘the East Turkestan Islamic Movement’ and ‘Hong Kong independence’,” distorted China’s policies and “undermined China’s core interests and political dignity”, the foreign ministry replied to Reuters questions about the show.
Bangkok Arts and Cultural Centre, one of Thailand’s top galleries, removed or altered artworks on Hong Kong as well as the Chinese government’s treatment of ethnic minorities in Tibet and Xinjiang at the request of the Chinese embassy.
The foreign ministry neither confirmed nor denied that the Chinese embassy was behind the removal and alteration.
China has been building its influence in Southeast Asia, where governments tread cautiously as they balance cooperation with the regional economic giant against concerns over political sovereignty.
The Bangkok show, “Constellation of Complicity: Visualising the Global Machinery of Authoritarian Solidarity”, had a theme of authoritarian governments and featured multiple works by artists in exile.
The co-curator, the gallery and Thailand’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
“The fact that the relevant country took timely measures precisely shows that the promotion of the fallacies of ‘Tibetan independence’, ‘East Turkestan Islamic Movement’ and ‘Hong Kong independence’ has no market internationally and is unpopular,” the ministry said.
China is against anyone “using the guise of cultural and artistic exchange to engage in political manipulation and interfere in China’s internal affairs”, it added.
(Reporting by Ryan Woo; Writing by Yukun Zhang; Additional Reporting by Poppy Mcpherson; Editing by Ed Osmond)
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