When the Government Lies to Its Own People

I have many Chinese and Chinese American friends and have visited China (“To Be Chinese in America,” April 30). I admire them for their work ethic and down-to-earth attitudes.

But how can the Chinese people make informed judgments when their government controls their access to information? This is a government that has deceived its own people regularly since Oct. 1, 1949, and has tried to deceive the world. Any major world power that controls the media and lies to its people needs to be spied upon. How would I feel about having a telescope on me 24 hours a day? It’s not a very good analogy, but I know the Russians have been spying on me for decades. Live with it, China. As long as you have a government that cannot be trusted, expect to be spied upon.

DAVID W. HASSLER

Pasadena

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As an American of Chinese descent, I’d like to point out that the high academic achievement of Asian American students is due mainly to parental support and guidance. I am a proud parent and grandparent of seven college graduates.

MONROE LEUNG

Monterey Park