During the 2008 Olympics, the Chinese government welcomed foreigners into China. A common theme was “One world, one dream.” However, fourteen years later, this is no longer the case. The country, in fact, tends toward rejecting foreign influence: teaching English is now discouraged, and a few weeks ago, Beijing removed English words from its subway signs. The country has a new self-confidence that make foreign influence less desirable.
While China’s increased self-confidence is in large reason due to its rising wealth and military strength, a big boost has come from its handling of the Corona Virus. While the US debated over mask mandates and personal rights, China took drastic measures that included strict lockdowns and even shutting down regional economies. While these measures may seem harsh to Western ears, the Chinese people see it as putting people first and saving lives. The US has now lost over 900,000 people to COVID, while China claims to have lost less than 5,000. (Of course, this number is hotly disputed.) The Chinese Communist Party cites the low death rate as evidence of the superiority of their authoritarian system, and of the decline of the West. Western infighting over mask mandates and vaccines has only confirmed this view.
The superiority of America’s system lies in its ability to coalesce differences of opinion to create a better answer than a small group of authoritarians could. However, this approach is undermined when people are yelling at each other. While everyone is free to their opinions, how people share those opinions makes a difference. The political divide—which so many people treat as a sport these days—is costing America on the world stage. China is using it to gain influence around the world and reduce America’s.
While civil discourse has always been part of the American system, bitter feuding has played into the hands of America’s adversaries, who point to it as a political failing. Perhaps, it would be wise if we step-back and examine how we conduct ourselves when we share our opinions.
Source:
Yanzhoun Huang, “China Courted the World in 2008 Olympics. Not Now,” Washington Post, 6 Feb 2022, B2; see also https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/02/03/china-olympics-covid-west/
“China,” Worldometer, 10 Feb 2022, accessed https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/china/
George Calhoun, “Beijing is Intentionally Underreporting China’s Covid Death Rate,” Forbes, 2 Jan 2022, accessed from https://www.forbes.com/sites/georgecalhoun/2022/01/02/beijing-is-intentionally-underreporting-chinas-covid-death-rate-part-1/?sh=2931358c4352
Photo: VCG, Getty Images
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