- cross-posted to:
- europe@feddit.org
- world@quokk.au
- cross-posted to:
- europe@feddit.org
- world@quokk.au
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/32374201
The original article in German is here.
- Victor Gao, ex-interpreter to politician Deng Xiaoping and now Beijing’s mouthpiece, promotes China’s line in the West.
- In the midst of economic problems, China is trying to win back Europe as a partner - on the condition that it does not criticize Beijing.
Where other Chinese experts remain silent because the new anti-espionage law forces them to be cautious, Victor Gao [once Deng Xiaoping’s interpreter, now vice president of a government-affiliated think tank and figurehead for China’s propaganda] talks. And how. Whether CNN, BBC or al-Jazeera - everyone gets it from him, the party line, eloquently packaged and charmingly served.
[…]
His current mission: to woo Europe, while relations with the West are crumbling under the weight of Hong Kong, Taiwan, Xinjiang, corona and closing ranks with Russia.
[…]
Victor Gao demands: “Wake up from your American nightmare.” And immediately delivers the Chinese offer: less morality, more market. China as a “resource”, not a rival.
[…]
But behind the smile lurks geopolitical calculation.
After all, NATO has long been seen as the enemy, and Western democracies are described in China’s state media as decadent, refugee-ridden orders. At the same time, Gao preaches closing ranks in interviews - as long as Europe refrains from any criticism of Beijing.
[…]
Victor Gao, who translated Deng’s words into the international arena in the 1980s, embodies China’s transformation: from an aspiring reformist state to an autocratically controlled superpower under Xi Jinping.
What used to be openness is now demarcation - and yet: economic hardship is forcing China back towards rapprochement.
With the economic downturn in its own country, youth unemployment, the real estate crisis, demographic decline and mountains of debt, it now wants Europe back as a partner. Or at least as a market.
[…]
Gao describes Europe as a continent on the brink of collapse: “You have no more money at all,” he says. China, on the other hand? Ready to help. With experience, technology and growth. A kind of development aid - made in China.
But the price is high: no criticism. No geopolitics. No questions asked.
Human rights? Tibet? Xinjiang? Are elegantly omitted. Anyone who raises them is either a “gangster” financed by the USA or a naïve idealist. Gao prefers to sell the high-speed train network, the next 6G expansion and the bubbling growth figures.
Problems? “Of course there are,” he says - and immediately changes the subject.
[…]
Victor Gao says that Europe is too small to be an adversary.
But perhaps this is precisely Europe’s underestimated strength: not wanting to dominate, but to mediate between the extremes - without selling out.
Because Gao is right about one thing: the world as we know it is changing rapidly. But whether China’s charm offensive is more than just a tactical smile will be measured by whether Beijing wants genuine partnership - or just a Europe that shuts up and pays up.
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Tying oneself fully to China to escape the US will put countries in the exact same bind they are in now, just under a different regime. The important thing for 3rd countries is diversification, relying on a balance of local, regional and international trade partners.
Tying oneself fully to China to escape the US will put countries in the exact same bind they are in now, just under a different regime.
US unjustifiably attacking EU with tariffs, and seizing Greenland to be in a better position to attack it militarily, is several aggression steps above trading with China opening its markets to Europe. Wine, cheese, Airbus, autos. Europeans can gain a much better standard of living than Americans from Chinese clothing, very cheap energy (solar with 90% of the deployment costs in local economy) and batteries that can actually reindustrialize Europe compared to submitting to US extortionist energy.
The most important benefit of accepting Chinese market opening, and accepting Chinese FDI, is forcing the US to capitulate from a depression that is limited to US. Europe can be much more aggressive on Boeing and construction/farming equipment from US. Can appeal to Japan to fill in the latter void, but China likely capable. US software licenses and playstores, and social media fines/revenue taxes. Can coordinate with their banks on aggressive shorting of US financializations before announcing punishments.
US behaviour only improves after it is destroyed, and EU/global capital can help rebuild it cheaply. It does not improve with EU meekness towards US.
While EU programming towards Russophobia is deeply ingrained, 2021 relations were far more productive. EU cannot hope for better US relations without a return to normal trade with Russia, which any rational people would understand as eliminating any counter threat from Russia resulting from insane Russophobia. EU can spend a lot on its own defense industry for jobs and financialization purposes, and this is more likely due to people’s Russophobia programming, but there is so much more productive spending, including subsidizing industry, such as Airbus as an example.
China is looking like a real stable partner in a world of instability instigated by the US president. The pitfalls of putting all of one’s industrial base eggs in one basket remain an issue.
Did you forget the part where Russia is currently attacking europe?
Ukraine war was 100% provoked by US and Ukraine, and just goes to show the programming extremes of anyone who doesn’t understand this, and how paralyzed they are to make actions for their survival.
The US instigated by pushing NATO expansion, sure, but nothing justifies Russia’s invasion. And Ukraine is certainly not to blame. If Russia had genuine security concerns, so did Ukraine. There is nothing wrong with countries seeking security assurances. Russia should have done so diplomatically if they were genuinely interested in security assurances. Ukraine is currently fighting for its own independence, they have every right to resist Putin’s illegal invasion by any means possible. The US choosing to exploit the situation into one similar to Afghanistan doesn’t change the morality of Ukraine fighting against an invasion, annexation, and genocide. Those resisting Imperialism don’t have the luxury of choosing who supports them, they must take whatever they can get.
Western Europe should have been doing significantly more to help Ukraine fight back and apply pressure to Putin for a ceasefire instead of letting the US hold the reign. Hopefully they step up because it’s about damn time and the US has only shown how untrustworthy they can be.
Blaming it on Ukraine is the same as blaming Palestine or Vietnam or Algeria or Ireland during their fights against Imperialism and Colonialism.
The US instigated by pushing NATO expansion, sure, but nothing justifies Russia’s invasion. And Ukraine is certainly not to blame.
1000%, categorically, US puppetted Ukraine to blame. They forced secessionist movement with apartheid ethnostate laws, and condoned nazi massacres, after 2014 coup.
Russia should have done so diplomatically if they were genuinely interested in security assurances
US/NATO is proud to have refused all discussions with Russia. They gleefully rejoiced in colonizing 2 additional slaves for the US, as a result of refusing all Russian security concerns.
Ukraine is currently fighting for its own independence, they have every right to resist Putin’s illegal invasion by any means possible.
Having the right to defend themselves or the choice to not suicide their people, doesn’t change in any way that they fully instigated the fight. Russia has the right to self defense, and to liberate people from nazi oppression too. Certainly US/NATO exercised those rights for Kosovo/Bosnia on far less obvious grounds of who instigated.
The US choosing to exploit the situation into one similar to Afghanistan doesn’t change the morality of Ukraine fighting against an invasion, annexation, and genocide.
You don’t get to use genocide word for this conflict. US using Ukraine proxies to diminish Russia is not for benefit of Ukrainians, and has full responsibility for all deaths. Liberating people from nazis instigating a fight is a clearer moral imperative.
Blaming it on Ukraine is the same as blaming Palestine or Vietnam or Algeria or Ireland during their fights against Imperialism and Colonialism.
Blaiming Russia is.
Okay then, hope they pay you well at the troll factory
China is looking to replace the Pax Americana with the Pax Sinica. But where the US and Europe at least had cultural and ideological overlaps. This doesn’t exist between China and Europe.
Just make a list of allies of the US or the EU, it’s massive. A list of China’s allies… North Korea maybe? China doesn’t want equal partnerships, it wants to lead and the others to follow.
China doesn’t want equal partnerships, it wants to lead and the others to follow.
I mean ditto for America, but you’re right about everything else. Pax Sinica probably isn’t happening.
Not before Pax Canadiana at least
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyPeWSLbdjw
I think this video is very telling. It looks all very ceremonial, but presidents of other nations are dropped off and have to hoof it along the empty red carpet by themselves surrounded by Chinese soldiers.
I’m not sure exactly how degrading is that, but fair enough.
I think history will show that Pax Americana and its British predecessor were genuinely novel empires in that they were underpinned by progressive ideologies. Free-trade liberalism, evangelizing Christianity, ideas about individual rights. The American empire in particular went out of its way not to be domineering: the whole concept of self-governing nation states with inviolable borders, i.e. the rules-based order, was basically invented by President Wilson. For small nations the last century has been like a utopian holiday compared to how things were before. Anyway, whatever one thinks about how well these empires lived up to their ideals, I personally have trouble imagining that China is going to do better.
…can I get some of those whitewashing drugs you took?
History will remember the US as the single most destructive and warmongering nation in world history.
This is a preposterous claim that (if serious) only proves your ignorance of world history. End of discussion from this side.
I’m truly sorry your nazi version of history is incorrect. I hope you understand that your education in the coming years isn’t anything personal, just something that needs to be done to fix people like you so humanity can move forward.
Most nations are victims of US empire, including EU before this unjustified attack. The golden billion’s media bubble ignores 7B rest that has China as a greater friend. The cultural programming that makes Europeans think US is a force for good is a massive weakness that captures their subservience.