The bureau of justice of Shenyang announced Thursday night that cancer patient Liu Xiaobo has died from organ failure, despite emergency efforts.



Liu was given an 11-year sentence in 2009 for instigating subversion of State power. He was granted medical parole last month. The First Hospital of China Medical University where Liu was hospitalized invited top Chinese cancer experts to treat him, with doctors from the US and Germany participating in medical consultations. But his condition deteriorated quickly and he had been in a critical condition since Monday.



The rapid deterioration of his illness is Liu's huge misfortune. The hospital and doctors are believed to have tried their best to save and prolong Liu's life. China has no motive not to provide Liu the best treatment, and the Chinese doctors' efforts are highly regarded by foreign experts. Despite disputes over whether Liu should be sent abroad for treatment, German doctor Markus Buchler admitted "I don't think we can do better medically than you do."



Since Liu's medical parole was made public, the Chinese side has been focusing on Liu's treatment, but some Western forces are always attempting to steer the issue in a political direction, hyping the treatment as a "human rights" issue. US and German authorities have also chimed in.



Obviously, outside disturbances were of no help to Liu's treatment. It is common sense that a critically ill patient should not be informed of disputes surrounding him that may arouse emotional upheaval, but the West was unwilling to care about Liu's condition.



Liu's last days were politicized by the forces overseas. They used Liu's illness as a tool to boost their image and demonize China. They aren't really interested in prolonging Liu's life. While Chinese doctors were doing their best to save Liu, they clamored and asked the critically ill patient to be transferred abroad only to show their so-called "sympathy."



Liu's jail sentence is a solemn ruling of the Chinese law. Liu was diagnosed with cancer in jail, and the prison authorities granted him medical parole and provided him with humanitarian treatment. These are all facts. The various speculations from the West will vanish soon.



The West has bestowed upon Liu a halo, which will not linger. By granting him the Nobel Prize, the West has "kidnapped" Liu. However, the West only puts a halo on those useful to them. Another example is Wei Jingsheng, living in the US now. Once an electrician at Beijing Zoo, the Western media called him the "father of China's democracy." He has been forgotten by Chinese society, and even in the US, few remember him. In Chinese history, none of China's heroes were conferred by the West. One's position and value in history will be decided by whether one's endeavors and persistence have value to the country's development and historical trends. One can create some waves against the current, but history will eventually wash away these traces.



Liu lived in an era when China witnessed the most rapid growth in recent history, but he attempted to confront Chinese mainstream society under Western support. This has determined his tragic life. Even if he could live longer, he would never have achieved his political goals that are in opposition to the path of history.





