October 28, 2024

History, especially which is anchored in countless documents, is largely woven from the fabric of undeniable truth. Yet from time to time, some Western voices arise, believing the script of history can be portrayed anew. This is happening in the South China Sea.

On Monday, the Australia-based think tank Lowy Institute published an article titled "China and the South China Sea: Tailoring history for propaganda." It introduced a seminar of Chinese historians and legal experts gathered in Hainan Province at the end of June, and reached a conclusion that "we will witness a form of history warfare as part of China's new propaganda to boost its South China Sea claim." The article said the gathering of Chinese historians should not be underestimated, because it was about "crafting narratives around China's ownership of the South China Sea."

For anyone with a modicum of common sense, seminars of historians are about the pursuit of truth. Yet, lacking any credible explanation, the Lowy article hastily equates the gathering of Chinese historians with the mere "crafting" of historical narratives, even labeling it as the ominous prelude to a "history warfare." Where does this absurd reasoning originate? Could it be that Western historians tend to shape historical narratives when they come together?

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