Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

New CNN Beijing Bureau Chief Offers Insight on China

Aired July 04, 2001 - 08:41   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: We are very lucky as we begin to discuss issues like China's entry into the World Trade Organization, what might happen to U.S. academics being held there, as well as several other issues, to have our new Beijing bureau chief joining us this morning.

His name is Jamie Florcruz. And he has lived, for the last 30 years, in China, with a very interesting personal story to tell.

On that note, we'd like to welcome you...

JAMIE FLORCRUZ, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Thank you.

LIN: ... to CNN.

You've been with "TIME" magazine for the last 10 years and now once again part of the family on CNN.

FLORCRUZ: Yes.

LIN: What do you think is going to happen to Li Shaomin?

FLORCRUZ: He happened to be, I think, in the same university -- when I was studying at Peking University. And I hope that he will -- his case will be resolved very soon. But I think it's just emblematic of the tension that's growing in China in general and in the leadership as it confronts with the challenges of unemployment, corruption, and tension in Taiwan and with the United States.

LIN: We're going to look forward to a lot of your coverage on many of those bigger issues.

And let's tap into your personal experience in China. You know, we -- as the American audience, we see, you know, the controversy over the U.S.-China spy plane controversy, the crackdown on these Chinese academics in the United States, Falun Gong members, the crackdown there -- so many controversial stories. Do you think this reflects the character and nature of people who live in Mainland China?

FLORCRUZ: Well, those are very important issues. And we need to cover them. But China is more complex than those stories. And China is a mosaic of all those images. Unfortunately, for us here, we have distilled China into single frame images of, you know, the "Yellow Peril," the "Blue Ants," the "Red Chinese." We have all the colors put on them. And China is more complex and more textured than that.

LIN: So what is it that we're missing about the Chinese people, the facets that don't come out in these stories?

FLORCRUZ: China now is very different from the China that I saw 30 years ago when I first got there. China then was, you know, led by a strong man, Mao Zedong, and people lived a very gray life, a very predictable and regimented life. You know, my friends then were asking me, you know, to get them cooking oil in special stores. And now these friends go to Starbucks and drive Cherokee Jeeps.

LIN: Do they have that much exposure to Western products and Western ideas?

FLORCRUZ: A lot more than we think. And of course, you know, China, at the same time, is 70 percent farmers. Let's keep that in mind. And so, for them, freedom is relative. For most of these Chinese, freedom means basic assistance: housing, food, shelter and you know, sometimes freedom to roam around, to gather jobs, to find their spouses freely. And to some Chinese, in the cities, it also means now the freedom to travel outside China.

LIN: Which is extraordinary.

FLORCRUZ: Which is extraordinary...

(CROSSTALK)

FLORCRUZ: ... and freedom to speak out. But actually, Chinese, in most places anyway, are more free than we think.

LIN: What do the Chinese think of Americans, especially as this story like the China spy plane story plays out in the media?

FLORCRUZ: The Chinese have a very -- you know, have this love/hate relationship with Americans. On the one hand, they're very fascinated with America. They think America, you know, is this beautiful land where you have -- you could pick up gold in the streets.

LIN: They call it Gold Mountain.

FLORCRUZ: Yes, they call it Gold Mountain. And so, it's a little naive and sometimes misleading. But they are very fascinated with Americans. Most Chinese tell me they would rather be friends with America. They have -- they don't want to be set up as the next evil empire, the next enemy of America.

LIN: As economic reforms come into play and more and more people have an opportunity to participate, let's say, in joint ventures with an American businessperson or what not, how are these changes affecting the dynamic of the average Chinese family?

FLORCRUZ: Well, the Chinese average family now is much richer than before. And they also are much more engaged, not only with themselves, within China, but also with a lot of other countries. They know a lot more about America than I think Americans know about China. Of course, not all of them are accurate or well-rounded. But through the Internet, through the media like us, the Chinese are getting a lot more information than they used to get.

LIN: You, Jamie, are of Filipino dissent. And you told me a fascinating story of how you ended up in China and ended up living unexpectedly there for almost 30 years now -- a brief synopsis.

FLORCRUZ: Well, I was an accidental tourist. I went to China for a three-week tour in 1971.

LIN: As a tourist?

FLORCRUZ: As a tourist. I ended up staying there for 12 straight years because I couldn't go home to Philippines when the then President Marcos cracked down and imposed martial law. And I was blacklisted. So I couldn't go home for 12 straight years. Meanwhile, I studied Chinese, I worked on a farm, I worked in a fishing company and I found my journalism job there.

LIN: Interesting.

All right, well, we are looking forward to many of your reports down the road. Thanks so much...

FLORCRUZ: Thank you.

LIN: ... for joining us this morning. And good to meet you.

FLORCRUZ: My pleasure.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com