Honourable Mr. President!

Some weeks before the Olympics in Beijing, New Tang Dynasty Television, the lone independent news station broadcasting over the territory of China, stopped being able to transmit its signal.

The situation concerning the signal has lasted several weeks, but it is unknown what caused the breakdown that the satellite operator Eutelsat Communications has described [to explain the cessation of the transmission]. It is also unclear when the signal will resume. However, it is clear who benefits, and who loses out due to this "breakdown". Millions of viewers of this independent, non-profit television station, which broadcasts in Chinese and English, are relegated to watching news censored by Chinese authorities, through which [for example] one can learn how brave Chinese soldiers are fighting “Tibetan terrorists.†They [the viewers] will not hear about strikes, riots, and problems occurring alongside the organizing of the Olympic Games.

We, the residents and representatives of the European Union, treat China, a nation which has played an enormous role in the development of humankind, with a level of respect that this great nation undoubtedly deserves. It's too bad that in response to this respect we are not treated seriously by the Chinese leadership.

The honouring of agreements and the acceptance of common principles: this is what we should expect from ourselves and our Chinese partners.