The article is NOT propaganda for or from Communists. It is a sober and revealing look at changes going on within China, its youth, its intellectuals and among China’s political and military elites. I find it very accurate. Chinese popular (and elite) opinion toward the U.S. has dramatically shifted in recent years. The cause for this shift is not Trump, not just China’s relative success in stopping Covid-19. It has deeper roots.
As the article explains, already during the 2008 Financial Crisis, many Chinese were beginning to believe the U.S. might be “more paper than tiger.” China is now an increasingly authoritarian society, whereas before it was introducing more democratic reforms. There is no “Chinese Gorbachev” on the horizon right now. Most Chinese in all classes once admired the U.S., its successes, also many of its values, but today even Chinese students in the U.S. tend to be suspicious of us and skeptical of our system and widely proclaimed “human rights values.” Chinese “wolf warrior” mentality is growing, and Chinese in general are becoming not only more cynical about U.S. motivations and values, but more willing to adopt aggressive and disruptive anti-American propaganda, political, and even military postures — just as Russia has — in different areas of the world.
Those who say: “Who cares?” are just showing they have no sense at all. They do not even appreciate the old proverb, “Know your enemy.“ Which of course is not to say the Chinese themselves are our enemy. Or that we are not often our own greatest enemy. If one wants China to resume its progress toward democratic reforms, reverse errors associated with XiJinping’s strengthening CP censorship, or even overthrow Xi and his group, knowing what is happening and more carefully modulating our response to China is necessary.
China just commemorated its “May 4th Movement,” when in 1919 anti-imperialist students celebrating “Mr. Democracy” and “Mr. Science” set in motion forces that were soon to transform their country. From the White House a special May 4th message (in their own language) was broadcast. I liked it — at first. But good or bad, its appeal was drowned out by Pompeo’s still unsubstantiated ravings about Covid-19. Educated Chinese have ways to hear American propaganda, to read our newspapers and watch our TV. They watch carefully what we say, and even more what we do.
As somebody who knows China and Chinese people well, who lived there for many years and who has seen China develop and change, I am horrified by recent developments and the growing Cold War between our two countries.
www.politico.com
