WikiLeaks outing of Chinese sources fails to spark retribution – so far
Fears that the Chinese sources outed in WikiLeaks might be viewed and treated as spies appear to be unfounded.
Beijing
Being outed as a “source” for American diplomats is not such a big deal after all, perhaps, even in China.
Two weeks after WikiLeaks posted unredacted versions of a quarter of a million US diplomatic cables, revealing the names of American embassies’ local contacts around the world, there are no signs of repercussions for Chinese sources, according to people who have themselves been “outed.”
“Nothing has happened to me, yet, and I have not heard of anyone else getting into trouble,” says Wang Zhenyu, a Beijing lawyer who says he has often met US diplomats to discuss the progress of legal reform in China and whose name was meant to have been “strictly protected” according to a cable that quotes him.
“I don’t think I’ll have any problem from the government, though some ordinary people do not understand," adds Wang Xiaodong, an outspoken nationalist ideologue with a large following on the Web, who also shared his insights with American diplomats, according to the leaked cables.
