Showcasing its “bad boy” geopolitical image, China, through its Communist Party news outlet, Global Times, in a single satirical cartoon, took a swipe at all of Christianity and the recent Group of Seven (G-7) summit held in Cornwall, U.K. How is this possible, you ask? Easy. As Fox News reports, take one Leonardo da Vinci 15th Century mural painting of “The Last Supper,” replace Jesus and the apostles with various forest animals and call it the “The Last G-7.”
As is so often the case when people not known for their humor attempt to be amusing (when was the last time you saw a hilarious CCP standup comic?), the joke bombs. So it was with the recent Beijing-inspired cartoon caricature mocking Christianity and the West.
The comic value fell flat from two perspectives. First, suppose China was attempting to make light of the G-7 meeting with symbolism, using da Vinci’s religious icon. In that case, the result was insulting to a vast number of Christians across the globe. The Epoch Times, in its description, explained dryly,
“The cartoon is a parody of Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘The Last Supper.’ The leaders of the countries attending the G-7 are portrayed as their respective national animals, wearing hats made from their national flags and plotting to ‘rule the world.’ The animals are sitting by a dinner table with a Chinese map-shaped cake on it.”
Backlash Surprises Chinese Communists?
As might be expected, the cartoon “triggered a backlash from the international media.” Various news outlets around the world were not amused. The U.K.’s Daily Mail called the rendering a “vicious swipe at the G-7 leaders.” The staff of Italy 24 News called the caricature “blasphemous.” Again, from The Epoch Times: “Voice of America said the creator of the cartoon is a ‘wolf warrior’ artist, and the cartoon doesn’t help to create a more ‘lovable’ image of China, referring to regime leader Xi Jinping’s recent call for such a portrayal.”
Second, the cartoon stirred up curiosity as to what got the CCP’s panties in a bunch. As it turns out, Xi Jinping and his government are miffed by the G-7’s concluding declaration. According to a Reuters report:
“Group of Seven leaders on Sunday scolded China over human rights in its Xinjiang region, called for Hong Kong to keep a high degree of autonomy, and demanded a full and thorough investigation of the origins of the coronavirus in China. After discussing how to come up with a unified position on China, leaders issued a highly critical final communique that delved into what are for China some of the most sensitive issues, including also Taiwan.”
Nothing New in Criticisms of CCP
The G-7 simply put into a single document what the West has maintained for several years. The Chinese treatment of the Uighurs in the Xinjiang region is a travesty. Liberty Nation’s Jeff Charles authored a compelling article describing the CCP forced labor camps and explained: “China has been engaging in some of the worst human rights abuses occurring around the globe today.”
Furthermore, the fact that someone noticed how Peoples Liberation Army Air Force and Navy have been causing problems in the South China Sea and harassing Taiwan should not be a news flash for Beijing. Calling out the iterative and continuous erosion of the civil rights of the people living in Hong Kong is not a secret, either. Lately, with more and more evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic sprang from a Wuhan laboratory, wanting to know more about that seems reasonable. What is new is that the West is united in condemning the Xi government’s bad behavior.
The Global Times cartoon just provided a reminder to take another look at why the G-7 took the position that it did; not what Beijing had in mind.
One other aspect of the Christ-mocking cartoon should prompt Chinese leaders to be more informed before they take on Christianity. The central figure in da Vinci’s painting was raised from the dead and has been enriching and saving lives for centuries before there was a CCP hell-bent on doing the opposite.
The views expressed are those of the author and not of any other affiliation.
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