Liu Bo attends a session of the political advisory body in Shenzhen. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A 14-Year-old middle school student in Shenzhen in Southeast China's Guangdong province was recently invited to the annual meeting of the local political advisory body as a youth representative. His designer outfit, however, gave rise to instant online discussions about his suitability and intentions. The teenager should not be judged by his clothes nor by his willingness to participate in local political affairs at a young age, says Beijing News:

Inviting youth representatives to attend the annual meeting of the local political advisory body was actually an innovative move to have youngsters participate in social issues and have their voices heard. It was no doubt unexpected that the 14-year-old's luxurious clothes would put him in the spotlight, exposing him to various questions about his background and "sophisticated" proposal.

In fact, it is fairness in public participation in political affairs, not his clothes or family background, which is the real concern.

To many people, those youngsters who can afford expensive clothes are from well-off, powerful families, thus their early appearance at a major political meeting may enable them to dominate a forum intended for ordinary people's concerns to be heard.

Besides, the maturity of the teenager's suggestion that the Shenzhen government should step up educational reform, eliminate the shortcomings of the education system, and place more emphasis on students' abilities and personal qualities, was also questioned as to its origins and intent. That explains why some people cast doubts on whether he was elected as a political observer in a fair manner.

However, his participation, which he might have spent days preparing and practicing, does not deserve all the online exposure and speculation. It is therefore necessary for those who have made him hit the headlines, for whatever purposes, to reflect on their own intentions.