Thank you for the article and views expressed within it.

As a westerner for over 70 years, I have largely been exposed to western media, political rhetoric and social conditioning. Accordingly, I may retain biases that have insinuated themselves into my thinking over time.

However, over my life I have given substantial time, reading, thought and exploration in an effort to encourage development of objectivity and an open mind and to attempt to see beyond the surface and to recognise the importance of context, past, present and future.

I don't know how well I've done - that would be for others to judge, I suspect, though I also doubt that anyone would care, given that I'm a nobody.

However, in the 60's I served in South Arabia and despite being part of an occupying force, gained Arab friends who taught me much about their culture and raised my understanding of many issues, not least that we oughtn't to be surprised that we were being shot at, knived, booby-trapped and more. I realised that our indignation was totally misplaced because we were, essentially, invaders beholden to a foreign government and, as such, the local population had every right to feel insulted and annoyed and to seek to oust us. Of course, the vast majority of us were still children, 18-20 years old, not even fully developed and definitely immature.

In the mid 70's I did include the China News in the library I managed and, by then, having gained discharge from the services and become a pacifist, I also took a significant interest in social justice and human behaviour towards one another.

I apologise for the biographical speel but offer it only as a small part of my experiences and efforts towards understanding difference and diversity and seeking my own sources, views and facts regarding other nations, cultures, religions and such.

I have no doubt that the Chinese governments has committed much perfidy for I know of no government that hasn't. The very existence of a nation state involves control over movement, information and legal killing - this is true regardless of its political ideology.

I also don't doubt the skewed views and prejudices that exist in mainstream media reporting, whether intentional or accidental. Today, there is, as you have clearly indicated, a praticularly warped view of China's agenda. That is true, regardless of whether China has a poor human rights record or is still involved in abuses of such.

Major western powers have no justification for taking the high moral ground. If not all, certainly most have histories of colonialism, slavery, invasion, occupation, desecration, destruction, false imprisonment, assassination, conspiracy and more.

A current example that supports my assertion is the one-sided view of the USA and most of its allies in relation to the Israeli v Palestine conflict. It is an appalling situation that supposedly democratic and freedom loving countries have governments which will call a resistance movement terrorists and stay quiet about a government of a nation which was created by those very powers giving it the lands of the people they now claim to be terrorists.

Their lack of condemnation of Netanyahu and his supporters is perfidy enough but to send money and arms in support of a nation committing genocide, is obnoxious and inexcusable.

No, I don't condone the war crimes of Hamas fighters. They have done themselves, Hamas and the Palestine cause no favours by their 7 October assault on and killing and abduction of Israeli citizens. They should be brought to account for their crimes.

However, Netanyahu's response is out of all proportion with the Hamas incursion and is particularly so given Israel's persecution of the Palestinian people since they were granted Palestinian land to establish the State of Israel. In no way is their genocidal assault, Self Defense.

Putin has been indicted by the International Criminal Court and a warrant issued for his arrest. Why has the same thing not happened for Netanyahu? No matter how insane and criminal Putin's actions have been, Netanyahu's are even more brutal.

In all cases, there is geo-political context, history, culture, heritage and preservation of a society and/or a people that have brought about these conflicts.

I agree with the remarks you report of Xi Jinping but will he arrest Putin if he has the opportunity?

The reality is that politicians and their leaders, no matter their ideology, will lie, prevaricate, denounce, applaud, conceal, expose, pretend, promise, renege and so forth, should it suit them to do so. Some may do it for their love of country or their nation others will do it for their own gain, others are simply megalomaniacs engaged in self indulgence.

Humanity will not escape these actions nor these characters until it finds another means of organising for peace, good-will, understanding and the sharing and caring for all, by all.

Accurate or inaccurate, prejudiced or objective, competent or incompetent reporting will not change that, though it would be refreshing to see.