Opinion | America's China disease
By Philip Yeung, university teacher
PKY480@gmail.com
Disparaging China has not only become an American disease, but an American epidemic. This hopelessly polarized country now has only one thing in common: antipathy towards China. Even for a Russia at war, it still boasts apologists in America, of which Donald Trump is the most prominent. But China haters, alarmingly, are becoming the fastest growing demographic in the US.
America is so Type-A about China that it is utterly obsessive-compulsive. The Florida governor, for one, is now its weirdest anti-China player; he bans Chinese from owning property in his state and in the latest bizarre move, he has outlawed the teaching of communism in schools. This is truly far-fetched as America is not even remotely threatened by communist propaganda. But America is seriously in danger of being overwhelmed by a wave of paranoia about a country whose only sin is having a communist label. The average American has been bombarded by saturation indoctrination against China, to the point where a peaceful country is now synonymous with evil. All stripes of political opportunists have come to feed at the China trough. Anything goes, so long as it is anti-China. In this hysterical atmosphere, balanced media reporting is out the window and a sense of fair play goes against the grain. Its politicians are being irresponsible, but also are its so-called independent free press. They forget that China today is a different country from the tumultuous days of the Cultural Revolution. Contemporary China will go down in history as one of the most rational, well-run countries. Just look at its spectacular highways, high-speed trains and high technology.
As a pacifist country, China is getting a raw deal. China may talk tough in the teeth of American hostility, but its posture is entirely defensive. None of the world's current conflicts is remotely connected to China. Nor does it go around picking fights or throwing its weight around.
America's hostility against China has reached pathological proportions. Too busy demonizing China, it fails to see its biggest long-term strategic mistake in nurturing India as a counterweight to China. US sanctions and trade tariffs have driven many of Chinese manufacturers to relocate to India, massively boosting India's economic growth. America's preoccupation with China has distorted its strategic thinking. India's economy has shot up to the fifth largest from the 11th. Soon, it may overtake Japan as the world's third largest economy. In the not-too-distant future, America may wake up to find India looming as a major threat, as China does now. Under Modi, Indian press freedom has been crudely curtailed. It is now less liberal and far more anti-Muslim. Modi has obvious autocratic tendencies, but blinded by its hate of China, American politicians and the press have chosen to ignore his many cruelties against its 200 million Muslim citizens. Modi is skillfully playing Russia against America and reaping benefits from both. India buys fighter jets from Russia while sending 300,000 Indian students to the US for higher education. Mark my word, America's next threat will come from, not from China, but from the Indian subcontinent. Unlike China, India has imperial ambitions, having gobbled up Goa and Sikkim in the past (whereas China's actions in the South China Sea are for keeping the vital sea lanes open for trade). India is aping China in its massive construction of infrastructure and wholesale eradication of poverty---a China model that works magically. India's rise under Modi has been described as "unstoppable". But, compared to its Asian cousin, India is not getting any bad press in the US. No one is ringing any alarm bells, until it is too late.
The American political class is populated by hot heads, loud mouths and unhinged minds, with Ron DeSantis, the scattered-brain governor of Florida as the most notorious example. Without exception, their thinking has been warped by China-envy. American politics has not reached this level of irrationality since the McCarthy era. Just last week, the US Congress is sending billions of military aid, not just to hotspots, but provocatively, to Taiwan, a province recognized as an integral part of China. Taiwan is but a tool for self-serving American politicians who have so many balls in the air. With its Republican presumptive presidential candidate entangled in multiple criminal trials, and accused of rape, fraud and insurrection, America is a country without a moral compass. The world now sees America not as a leader, but as a trouble-maker. The bias against Beijing is merely for the profit of its politicians.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.
Read more articles by Philip Yeung:
Opinion | The birth of a country of cruelty, and the death of the global 'rule-based' order
Opinion | Biden or Trump—Who is the lesser of two evils for China?
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