[By Liu Rui/Global Times]

The British-Indian novelist Salman Rushdie delivered speeches all around recently on the occasion of the chaos that plagued the Middle East. The nations he denounced in his lectures were mainly Arab states, especially those in the turmoil of revolution, including Libya, Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen.

Rushdie frequently criticized China when he gave a speech at Duke University in the US. He believes that China "has become the world's greatest threat to freedom of speech."

Similarly, the Qatar-based Al Jazeera satellite television lashed out at China's stance toward the Middle East. Al Jazeera, by far the most famous and influential news channel in the Arab world, had many difficulties and was rebuked and even expelled by many states and media during the Middle East turmoil due to its strong pro-West approach.

Consequently, China should ponder seriously how best to convey its stance and attitude toward the Middle East.

Multiple causes contributed to the current unrest in the Middle East. The NATO air strikes in Libya were undertaken out of more than "humanitarian intervention." China has good reason to doubt the sincerity of Western arguments of "human rights above state sovereignty" and "humanitarian intervention."

Western interference in the Balkans to protect Muslim Albanians in Kosovo under the banner of humanitarian intervention worsened the existing national and religious conflicts. The US invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq in the name of anti-terrorism actually toppled the original regimes and brought greater disasters to the local residents.

Separately, the Western nations were keen to scramble for energy and strategic positions in the Middle East. They harbored long-standing prejudices and discrimination against Islamic culture.

All these could explain why China doubts and criticizes the intentions of the West. China's independent stance is a rare thing in a world dominated by Western mainstream media.