Western Arrogance and China

Why the West shits on China

Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in China bashing. The West have denigrated China’s politics, China’s history, China’s culture, China’s economic progress, China’s technological progress, China’s military modernization, China’s territorial claims, China’s foreign policy, China’s Belt and Road Initiative, China’s handling of the pandemic. And I’m sure I’ve left out a few others.

It is extremely obvious that this increased China bashing coincided with China’s spectacular economic rise over the past two decades, since China joined the WTO. China’s GDP skyrocketed from $1.34 trillion in 2001 to $17.73 trillion in 2021, a thirteen-fold increase, making China the world’s second largest economy by nominal GDP and a mere $5.59 trillion behind the USA (source: World Bank). Surely, this must’ve put the fear of God into the US government. Never before has the USA had to face a true peer competitor.

So, where have the West gone wrong in their China narrative?

China’s politics

In the eyes of the West, China is supposedly a very repressive state where the people have no freedom. This is easily debunked by visiting China and seeing how the Chinese live.

This can be further corroborated by Western research. The Edelman Trust Barometer for 2022 shows a 91 percent trust level for China’s government. A 2020 study from the Ash Center at Harvard Kennedy School shows a 95.5 percent satisfaction rate for China’s central government. Latana’s Democracy Perception Index for 2022 shows that the Chinese regard their country as the most democratic in the world. An Ipsos survey in November 2019 shows that 95 percent of Chinese believe their country is on the right track.

There is zero credible evidence for Western allegations of human rights abuse in Xinjiang. People like Adrian Zenz and the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) fabricate all kinds of silly analyses to support their accusations. The World Uyghur Congress, an anti-China organization funded by the US government and composed of disaffected Uyghurs, held a “tribunal” to present eyewitness testimonies, and we are supposed to take their testimonies at face value without question (surely, these people would never lie!).

Again, this can be debunked by visiting Xinjiang and seeing how the Uyghurs live.

China’s history

The West are supposedly superior to Asia because they had the Industrial Revolution while China, Japan and other countries were “backward.” This kind of nonsense stems from Western arrogance.

Europe’s history and circumstances did compel the continent to develop first in a way that Asian societies didn’t need to. This doesn’t make Europeans superior, just fortunate.

Similarly, the fact that Europe (and by extension, America) were responsible for nearly all of the last 2,000 years of colonialism (Roman, Ottoman, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, French, German, Belgian, British, American) doesn’t imply that Europe and America are superior to Asia. In particular, China has always been a fairly insular state that prefers to keep to itself. Here, for example, was the greatest extent of imperial China (which looks remarkably like modern China):

Fun fact: China hasn’t fought a single war since 1979. No other world power has been so peaceful for so long.

And yet, we are expected to believe that China has ambitions of global conquest.

Except for a brief period of 50 years when Japan held Taiwan, Taiwan had been part of China since 1683…under the Qing Dynasty, under the Republic of China, and finally under the People’s Republic of China. The historical complications surrounding Taiwan does not alter China’s perception of Taiwan as Chinese territory. In modern times, nearly the entire world accepts the One China principle that Taiwan is part of China. Both the UN and the USA recognize this (recall the Three Communiques).

China’s technological progress

The West accuse China of stealing technology. In the past, China asked for reciprocity when foreign companies wanted access to China’s domestic market. They weren’t obligated to give away their trade secrets; they were free to walk away.

All countries want a leg up when they are first developing their economies. Two hundred years ago, America did the same thing as China, except in a more underhanded way. Similarly after the Second World War.

Today, China has no need to “steal” technology. It is perfectly capable of advancing on its own (e.g., 5G/6G, AI, mobile payments, quantum information science, space exploration, hypersonic missiles, stealth technology, etc.). Every year, China produces millions of STEM graduates — its pool of scientific and engineering talent is outstanding.

China’s military modernization

China’s modernization of its military is regarded by the West as a threat or sign of aggression, as if no country has the right to defend itself except for the Western powers. Japan’s military build-up gets a pass. India’s military build-up gets a pass. Australia’s military build-up gets a pass. America’s military build-up gets a pass. But not China’s.

China’s territorial claims

China has territorial disputes just like many other countries. In the highly contentious South China Sea, there are six countries that have overlapping territorial claims (China/Taiwan and Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam). But the West seem to only have a problem with China.

China’s foreign policy

China does not interfere in the internal affairs of other nations. It does not export its political ideology. It respects all nations which is why it can forge positive alliances such as BRICS, RCEP and SCO.

Like most other countries, China has not followed Western sanctions against Russia, but this hasn’t stopped the West from criticizing China. China is dedicated to trade and commerce with all countries, including Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, etc. China doesn’t take sides in foreign conflicts.

China’s Belt and Road Initiative

The West accuse China of “debt-trap diplomacy” with the Belt and Road Initiative. They can provide no evidence; it’s just innuendo. Apparently, 147 countries around the world foolishly allow themselves to be caught in China’s trap, a veiled insult by the West that these countries are weak and stupid.

China’s handling of the pandemic

The West have blamed China for the COVID-19 pandemic without cause or evidence. They have criticized China first for its lockdown policy (and violating human rights) and later for lifting its lockdown policy (and allowing its people to get infected in large numbers). Their blatant sophistry reflects their deceptive intentions.

Moreover, China is 91 percent fully vaccinated, according to The New York Times Covid World Vaccination Tracker, while USA is 68 percent fully vaccinated, UK 76 percent, France 79 percent, Germany 76 percent, Italy 80 percent, Canada 84 percent, and Japan 82 percent. China is doing better than all the G7 countries.

The Frightful Future

Western arrogance is putting the entire world at risk. Risk of another world war (over Taiwan). Risk of human extinction. Risk of failing to address climate change adequately. Risk of a massive global economic depression. I call for an end to this relentless China bashing. If you agree, make your view known in the comments. Thank you.

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