From Chinese Press

Anna the 'superstar spy'

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-07-16 09:21

Packaging the spy crisis as an entertainment show belies the compromise between Russia and the US when both the countries have agreed to build a cooperative relationship, says an article in Beijing News. Excerpts:

Anna Chapman, an accused Russian spy, cannot expect her covert career and private life to be turned into a female 007 tale.

But, all the same, fun-seeking readers and TV viewers across the world have made them celebrities thanks in no small measure to the US media. De-politicizing the spy storm is a natural choice for Washington and Moscow both, and, with the help of the media, they have succeeded in diverting public attention and eased the pressure on their warming relations.

The exchange of spies between the two countries is a peaceful move to minimize the gravity of the incident through thoughtful exchange of goodwill among top leaders of the two powers. Walking a tight rope, the US is trying to counterbalance Russia's influence on its former states by helping the buffer zone republics while taking care not to hurt Russia's national interests.

Anna Chapman and her co-spies would have been US prisoners had such a ring been busted during the Cold War. Instead, the changing times have turned them into stars.