National channel New China TV recently aired a James Bond parody sketch. What might be just a funny video, however, makes many references to the trade war between China and the United States since the sanctions against Huawei. The Middle Empire thus responds in a rather strange way to accusations of espionage.
It has now been two years since Huawei has been subjected to the sanctions applied against it by the Trump administration. The consequences are dire for the firm, which saw its turnover fall by 28.9% in 2021, but also for the international diplomatic situation. With these measures, an open war has broken out between the United States and China which, if not armed, nevertheless shakes the world economy, although the sanctions have since eased. Faced with this delicate situation, the Middle Empire today seems to take things lightly.
The national channel Xinhua News indeed broadcast a parody sketch resembling those that can be seen on SNL. In the latter, it’s James Bond – or rather, James Pond – that is the subject of mockery. At first glance, there isn’t much to highlight in this video, except that the United States seems particularly targeted by the names of explicitly American characters like “Black Window” and Mrs. Doubtfire. These also refer to David Cameron and Angela Merkel, in a rather strange way since both are no longer in office.
China strangely defends itself against espionage accusations
But the video takes a whole new turn when the two spies call their boss and Black Window says: “It’s always good to spy on China, isn’t it?” “. It could have ended there, but this line is followed by Huawei’s entry into the conversation. Regarding the espionage charges, the spy retorts: “We have to stop with these backdoor stories. If there was any proof, you would have made the headlines and let the Chinese take the blame ”.
On the same topic: Huawei allegedly helped the Chinese government to build smart prisons for Uyghurs
However, it turns out that the Huawei case is precisely the headlines, and since its inception. Here again, we could put it all on the spot of parody, possibly of the cultural gap, but the sketch drives the point home with the line: “There are no 100% safe and clean cell phones on this planet”. We wouldn’t go so far as to say that China half-admits his involvement in the story, but suspicion is in order. And the sketch to conclude: “To be America’s enemy is dangerous, but to be America’s friend is fatal”.