Apocalyptic visions of Sino-US relations are a road to nowhere
Julian B. Gewirtz says mutual fearmongering has entered mainstream political thought in the US and China, when cooperation is needed to tackle global challenges for the sake of the younger generation
Forget the daily news stories – an upcoming apocalypse in US-China relations is already on video in both countries.
In the Chinese video, promoted with the hashtag “Who most wants to overthrow China?”, images of refugees fleeing the Middle East fill the screen. Forbidding violins thrum in the background as a message appears against a dark background: “‘Colour revolutions” have already successfully pushed many countries into the flames of war and division. These devilish claws are also reaching into China!” After further denunciations of the US, the video concludes with martial images and calls for all Chinese to prepare for “a long war” against hostile infiltration.
Watch: ‘Dark shadow of the Stars and Stripes’
Are these screeds the work of fringe extremists? If only. These films express what are now mainstream views among some members of the leadership of the world’s two largest economies.
Death by China is a documentary directed by Peter Navarro, a prominent adviser to US President-elect Donald Trump. He has just been named assistant to the president and director of trade and industrial policy, leading Trump’s newly created White House National Trade Council. The Chinese video, in turn, was publicised by a verified social media account of China’s Ministry of Public Security.
Watch: ‘Death by China’ trailer
Melding violent imagery, paranoia about hostile infiltration, and a sense that terrible things are secretly afoot, these two films offer apocalyptic visions of US-China interconnection. Reflecting a mutual hostility that risks overtaking the relationship in the Trump era, they illustrate how provocative actions by one side play into the most fearsome imaginings of the other.