(Image Source: USA Today)

BY ZAKIYYAH WAHAB

ANCHOR LAUREN ZIMA

U.S. Senator John McCain warns the Arab Spring will spread to China. New Tang Dynasty Television reports on what happened during the 48th Munich Security Conference.

“I have said on many occasions and I will say it again. The Arab Spring is coming to China as well, and there’s not a way that you will be able to stifle it completely because of these devices (shows a mobile phone).”

McCain’s warning came in response to the recent self-immolations of three Tibetan monks. The New York Times reports there have been 19 self-immolations in protest of Chinese rule this year. According to Voice of America ...

“Many Tibetans accuse the Chinese government of working to erode their culture and faith, and resent the large-scale migration of China’s ethnic Han majority into Tibetan areas.”

The Times of India reports China’s foreign vice minister was visibly upset by McCain’s comments and refuted the possibility of a Chinise Arab Spring, saying ...

“‘Tibet is an integral part of China ... We are very resentful to any kind of lecturing on how we should manage our own affairs ...’”

The face-to-face confrontation highlights the divergent views on issues in Asia. The South China Morning Post notes ...

“It is rare for senior diplomats or political heavyweights from China and the United States to face off at major international forums ... perhaps even more unusual for a Communist Party-run newspaper to make [such] debates ... public.”

An international studies expert tells the state-run People’s Daily – McCain’s words reveal a lack of basic knowledge about both the Middle East and China.

"The current conflicts in some Arab countries have their root in geopolitics, practical interests and the Sunni-Shiite split. So it's just ridiculous to say the pattern could be copied in China.”

But The Telegraph points out growing unrest in the region.

“Following recent sporadic, deadly riots and a series of self-immolations … Beijing fears the potentially volatile holiday period – which begins on the 22nd – could muster coordinated and widespread anti-Chinese rule riots.”

McCain shook hands with Zhang at the end of the panel, saying that his comments reflect what the U.S. advocates for throughout the world, not just in China.