Press review

Kim Jong Il's death is top news in the Chinese media. Most newspapers have employed a neutral tone, but the English-language China Daily was more emotional with its headline: "A friend's departure."

The Beijing-based Xinjing Bao had four pages featuring crying North Koreans and reviewing their leader’s life and career, while the party mouthpiece Renmin Ribao, headlined with the condolences of the Chinese Communist Party, mentioned Kim Jong Il's death only later on in the article.

Not much about reality

Chinese readers will have to look long and hard to find anything about the real situation in North Korea. There is no mention anywhere in the state media that millions of people are starving in the isolated state.

However, commentators have expressed their fears for the future and warned of regional instability. The Hangzhou Ribao, which tends towards nationalism, said China would have to ensure the transition of power went smoothly and that there was no outside interference. It insisted on China's special partnership with North Korea, saying no price or effort was too great to maintain it

The tone on the Internet, however, was very different. There was no mention of the socialist brother state but much more of the fact that another dictator had met his maker. Witty microbloggers, meanwhile, have come up with a seasonal take on the whole matter, singing "Jin Ge (Brother Kim) bye!" instead of Jingle Bells.

Author: Ruth Kirchner / act
Editor: Sarah Berning