The Pacific Century Hoover Institution

Appreciate the diverse voices you have brought to the conversations on China.
Habi Zhang asked a great question “ What the West got wrong about China?” However, I am outraged by her CCP doctrine that Chinese “people” only want security! Don’t know her enough to conclude that she cannot speak for Chines people but know the country, the history, the people intimately enough to say that Chinese people want not only security and sense of security, as Americans and all other living beings, but also other things, such as freedom, dignity, and self determination. The Security vs. freedom argument dehumanizes Chinese people, and more dangerously, legitimizes the totalitarian regime and the suffering of Chinese people under one “supreme leader”.
Another disturbing feature of Zhang’s tenet is the dominant interpretation of China, as to see China as one cohesive and static entity. China has a long and complicated history. While the Han ethnicity and Confucian (the part about power, domination, and order) thoughts have dominated the most part of the country and its history, how the process of such domination also tells the story of the diverse values and power struggles to seek for freedom, liberty, and democracy. The rights to speak own language is a good example for ethnic minorities. Under Xi’s policy, Chinese government is repeating what European settlers had done in native Indian boarding schools to native Indian children and families. One, instead of many, is the most dangerous world view shared by Xi, Wang Huning and Habi Zhang. This view denies any possibility that any dialogue between China and West has any meaning, and China is able to change or Chinese people ever will have their voices.
After the 20th CCP Congress, hope Americans can finally stop calling Xi President! He is a supreme leader, not a President!

Fabulous and informative and touching. Thanks!

An important podcast toward understanding what an ascendant China means to the US.