China Employs Sing-song Diplomacy

It may sound more highbrow than ping-pong diplomacy, but China hopes that an orchestral performance at the Vatican tomorrow will be as effective in thawing frosty relations.

Diplomatic ties between the Catholic church and Beijing were severed shortly after the Communists took power in 1949 and Catholics in China had to worship underground.

But last year Pope Benedict XVI issued a 55-page open letter saying he wanted to restore full diplomatic links. Shortly afterwards, the Vatican approved the installation of a new state-approved Catholic bishop in the Chinese capital.

Now Beijing has arranged for the China Philharmonic Orchestra to play at the Vatican, in an offer that the conductor, Yu Long, compared to the table tennis matches played by US players in China in 1971 which helped revive Sino-American relations.

"If music as a universal language can make a contribution to diplomacy or world peace, I will be very happy," he said, adding that there were parallels with the New York Philharmonic's ice-breaking concert in North Korea in February.

Both Beijing and the papacy hope that Mozart's Requiem and Chinese folk songs can also help bridge the divide. But stumbling blocks include China's birth control laws and Rome's recognition of Taiwan - rapprochement is likely to be slow.

A priest in the Vatican, who wanted to remain anonymous, told Reuters: "I don't think [the communist government] are doing it out of love for the Pope or love of the Holy See but it will be positive in the end."

"Music is a universal language that can bring together people from different countries, and from different religious and cultural backgrounds," the English-language China Daily quoted an unidentified Chinese foreign ministry official as saying.

While Beijing and Vatican Radio praised music's ability to bring people together, another source in the papal city told Reuters that the Chinese were "shopping for goodwill" in an effort to improve their international image, adding: "Each side clearly has its own interest in this."

Tomorrow's performance is part of a three-cities European tour by the China Philharmonic Orchestra, China Daily reported. The Beijing-based orchestra will be accompanied by the Shanghai Opera House Chorus.