LOS ANGELES — It's not always easy to do right by China. Should you choose the path of unthinking flattery, you will eventually lose self-respect.
Should you take the path of honest public comment, praising where praise is due but not pulling your punches when issues surface, you run the risk of incurring the wrath of Beijing. Such was the unhappy experience of Norway's ambassador to Beijing. He opened his mind — not to mention his mouth — to the idea that the ruling party of China cannot continue to prevail as it has for much longer.
In effect, Tor Christian Hildan, undiplomatically, predicted the fall of the Communist Party in China in a recent interview with the newspaper Aftenposten.