Think tank founder Wang Huiyao on the ‘uphill battle’ to explain China to the world
- To avoid misunderstanding and mistrust, more needs to be done to explain the country’s system and values, he tells Talking Post
- The root of the problem is a geopolitical failure to accept China’s rise and its rightful place in history, Wang says
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How China is losing the information war to the West | Wang Huiyao on Talking Post with Yonden Lhatoo
China needs to do more to explain its system and values to the world, to avoid misunderstanding and mistrust in the West, according to the founder of a Beijing-based non-governmental think tank.
“We know from the very beginning it’s a tremendous challenge to communicate with the outside world. I think first, China doesn’t really have many people who speak [or have] command of good English,” Wang said.
“But particularly, I think China has a different system, different values, maybe a different history and culture.”
Wang said the role of CCG is to try and be a bridge, but also to look objectively at what is happening in China, as well as what is going on in the outside world.
Asked if there was a credibility deficit in the Chinese narrative, Wang said this was probably true, and suggested journalistic exchanges between China and Western countries could help to fix the gap.