The Chinese saying "The closer, the smellier; the further, the sweeter" has frequently crossed my mind as of late.

Crude, one may say, but let me spell it out this way.

It wasn't long ago that a distant relative would be considered close if, for instance, they called to say "Hi" each Spring Festival.

But now, with everything everywhere coming together, when that same relative could be living with you under the same roof, many fresh concerns are going to arise.

In today's global village, there are constant clashes between diverse cultures.

So how do we interact and reconcile with each other in this brave new world?

My experience in Canberra gives an example of how things can go wrong.

At a press conference on Wednesday, at which reporters focused not on the relay but the flame attendants, I tried to make our stance clear.

I did so by referring to the manual of the Olympic torch relay, clarifying the attendants' official rights and responsibilities, while stressing that we stand on the same line as the Australian police.

I said that as I didn't expect any emergencies, our boys would mainly be turning on and off torches, and passing them to the torchbearers.

But what did I see in the local media the next day?

A TV station that accredited the words from the manual to me, and a newspaper that said an "intimidated" I heaped "humiliation on Australian officials".

Were we at the same briefing?

A few days earlier, a member of our team asked me what had angered me most on our trip. I said I really don't have much anger; but did have a feeling of despair: communication is too difficult.

The most desperate thing for me is, my second college major in news was taught by Americans; my journalism training in Hawaii was conducted by Americans, and my education at Harvard too was American-oriented.

All my news theory, notes and even textbooks at home are American. But ironically, some Western media now don't even obey their most basic rules. Instead, they make arbitrary conclusions without solid sources, or any at all.

Where have all the news objectivity and ethics gone, as the people of the world are drawn nearer to one another?

The relay in Bangkok was fairly smooth, and each of our media covered both sides - the vast majority of supporters of the relay, and the few Tibetan separatists along the route. But in the end, what did the world see from the Western press? What image did their time distribution of each side present to global audiences?

I didn't have to ask. As soon as we arrived in Kuala Lumpur from Thailand, a concerned local friend greeted us by saying: "I heard you had a rough day yesterday; lots of protests. Are you okay?"

Another incident took place in Canberra, when one of our reporters ran into a local TV broadcaster amid a throng of cheering Chinese students and a middle-aged woman who was a pro-Tibet 'independence' protester, who was in tears before the camera.

The TV host told the camera that despite overwhelming support from the overseas Chinese community, "the impact of pro-Tibetan protesters cannot be underestimated."

When the reporter inquired about the remark, the broadcaster replied: "Now all the world is seeing is you making old ladies cry."

Well of course, if you decide to show it that way.

The closer, the smellier - indeed. Global village, for sure. But must we not be doing something basic and yet constructive to make it a better place for us all, with more peace, respect and tolerance?

In a way, that's the rationale behind our global trip.

We've been on the road for 26 days and it's not been easy.

But for me, all the troubles are worth it.

Had I another chance to start it over, I would still stand where I am, starting from the basics, and contributing my limited share in spreading the Olympic messages of unity and progress.

And I hope we can all contribute to that process in our own ways.

Qu Yingpu, deputy editor-in-chief of China Daily, is spokesman for the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay

(China Daily 04/26/2008 page2)