How Chinese fooled reporter into 'playing a role'

Excellent article by Lindsey Hilsum, Channel 4's China correspondent, in the New Statesman. She explains how the Chinese manipulated her, and other western journalists, by inviting them to attend a foreign ministry press conference during the National People's Congress. She had no idea until she was filmed by Chinese TV taking notes and asking questions that she was playing a role to give the impression to the watching Chinese public that foreigners take the NPC and its press conferences seriously. All part, writes Hilsum, of the government's project to convince its own citizens that the NPC is a real parliament and China is a democracy. (Via New Statesman)