The Truth About China

Propaganda, patriotism and the search for answers

The Truth About China
Bill Birtles
RRP:
NZ$ 36.99
Our Price:
NZ$ 29.59
Paperback
h234 x 153mm - 320pg
26 Apr 2021 AU
International import eta 7-19 days
9781760879860
Out Of Stock
Currently no stock in-store, stock is sourced to your order
' People abroad always thought things were much scarier in China than they really were. What threw me, though, was the urgency of the diplomats in Beijing. They live it, they get it. And they wanted me out. ' Bill Birtles was rushed out of China in September 2020, forced to seek refuge in the Australian Embassy in Beijing while diplomats delicately negotiated his departure in an unprecedented standoff with China' s government. Five days later he was on a flight back to Sydney, leaving China without any Australian foreign correspondents on the ground for the first time in decades. A journalist' s perspective on this rising global power has never been more important, as Australia' s relationship with China undergoes an extraordinary change that' s seen the detention of a journalist Cheng Lei, Canberra' s criticism of Beijing' s efforts to crush Hong Kong' s freedoms, as well as China' s military activity in the South China Sea and its human rights violations targeting the mostly Muslim Uighur minority in Xinjiang province. Chronicling his five-year stint in China as he criss-crossed the country, Birtles reveals why the historic unravelling of China' s relations with the West is perceived very differently inside the country. The Truth About China is a compelling and candid examination of China, one that takes a magnifying glass to recent events, and looks through a telescope at what is yet to come.
Bill Birtles was the ABC' s China correspondent in Beijing from 2015 to 2020, his posting coming to a sudden end when he was rushed out of the country by Australian diplomats in an unprecedented diplomatic standoff. Reporting from both major cities and remote provinces throughout the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan, he covered an era-defining period of change, upheaval and diplomatic tension as China asserted itself on the world stage. Originally from Sydney, Birtles first studied Mandarin in the Chinese capital and later worked inside the government' s most important state media and propaganda organ, the Xinhua newsagency, before returning to Beijing for the ABC. He is now covering South-East Asia as the ABC' s Indonesia Bureau Chief, based in Jakarta.
Status: Active
ISBN-13: 9781760879860
Published: 26 Apr 2021
Published In: Australia
Imprint: Allen & Unwin
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Format: Paperback
Height: 234mm
Width: 153mm
Weight: 424g
Pages: 320

In stock - for items in stock we aim to dispatch the next business day. For delivery in NZ allow 2-5 business days, with rural taking a wee bit longer.

Locally sourced in NZ - stock comes from a NZ supplier with an approximate delivery of 7-15 business days.

International Imports - stock is imported into NZ, depending on air or sea shipping option from the international supplier stock can take 10-30 working days to arrive into NZ. 

Pre-order Titles - delivery will vary depending on where the title is published, if local stock is available in NZ then 5-7 business days, for international imports it can be 10-30 business days. In all cases we will access the quickest supply option.

Delivery Packaging - we ship all items in cardboard sleeves or by box with either packing paper or corn starch chips. (We avoid using plastics bubble bags)

Tracking - Orders are delivered by track and trace courier and are fully insured, tracking information will be sent by email once dispatched.

View our full Order & Delivery information