Chinese Media Spotlight Capitol Raid As A Leadership Failure

Capitol Building (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - The Chinese state media editorial said that the attack on the Capitol Building in Washington DC, United States (US) by supporters of US President Donald Trump reflected a leadership failure. The editorial also called the riots at the Capitol Building a deep division in American society.

Hundreds of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol Building on Wednesday afternoon January 6. The event was described by Speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR) Nancy Pelosi as "armed rebellion against America."

The Chinese state-run newspaper used the events to escalate a war of words against the US. Bilateral relations between Chinda and the United States are already ebbing amid trade tensions, human rights and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Global Times, the tabloid of the People's Daily which is the newspaper of the ruling Communist Party, described the riots as a sign of "internal collapse" in the US political system that cannot be easily undone.

"The unprecedented mass on the Capitol, a symbol of the US system, is the result of a severe division of US society and the country's failure to control the division," he said.

"Over time and with the abuse of resources by generations of politicians, the US political system has deteriorated," the paper added.

They also denounced what he called a "double standard" among US politicians, directing Pelosi's description of the Hong Kong protests in 2019 as "a pretty sight to behold."

"In Hong Kong, acts of violence are described as a 'beautiful sight', in the US, the people involved in this chaos are called 'masses'," said the Global Times.

Pelosi's comments have been widely ridiculed on Weibo services such as Twitter in China, with the Communist Party's Youth League also using the words "beautiful scenery" to describe the unrest in Washington DC.

Another netizen described the unrest as karma. One netizen joked that this riot was the first attempted coup in America to take place "without the involvement of the US embassy."

The country's official TV station, CCTV, used the crisis in Washington DC to denounce the US political system. The TV station said "something that was hidden from America's so-called democracy has been destroyed."

"The United States, which has always promoted democracy and human rights, is now a country of riots, conflict and curfew," he said.

Meanwhile, the official China Daily newspaper said President Trump's "narrow nationalism" had hurt Uncle Sam's country. The violence and chaos that erupted in the US over the past year shows what happens when the country's leaders lose touch with reality, he added.

The rioting in the Capitol Building began with Trump flaming his supporters against the ongoing inauguration of the electoral vote.

"It's statistically impossible to lose the 2020 elections," Trump said, on December 20. “Big protest in DC on January 6th. Come on, it will be wild! "

The raid left four people dead and about 68 people related to the riot being arrested. Some of the people who were arrested carried unauthorized firearms. Among the dead, one was a Trump supporter who was shot.

After the riots were under control, the congress was resumed. The US Congress has approved the election of Joe Biden as US President and Kamala Harris as his representative.