第205页

For example, it is common to find inthe Chinese press statements of the type, " All of the Chinese people believe that membershipin the World Trade Organization is a major step forward in the progress toward social revo-lution " Taken at face value, such statements are demonstrably false, since not every one ofmany millions of people would be aware of, let alone agree upon the value of, any singlepolicy. From this perspective, we might be inclined to view these statements as the most blatant form of propaganda. We have learned from studying the Chinese press, however, thatstatements of this type are not printed for purposes of external propaganda at all, but ratherare intended to suggest to the Chinese people themselves the beliefs that their governmentwishes them to hold. In other words, the purpose of such statements of consensus is not descriptive, but directive. Knowing this, we may interpret them as useful indicators of the policy interests of the Chinese leaders rather than as meaningless items of propaganda, and wemay employ them to some advantage.