Source:
https://scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3101919/us-needs-better-understand-chinas-culture-and-politics-sake-peace
Comment/ Opinion

The US needs to better understand China’s culture and politics, for the sake of peace

  • What makes China different should be studied, not dismissed. As Asia’s rise throws up more non-Western sensibilities, talking to, rather than past, each other will be increasingly important

China and the United States are talking past each other, causing tensions and disruptions that may lead not only to economic decoupling but also military conflict. No one should wish to see that happen.

Sino-US relations have had their ups and downs since the normalisation of diplomatic ties in 1979 and things have been patched over with years of hard work and negotiations, where each side sought to protect or optimise their interests.

In the recent altercations, the US narrative about China has extended beyond trade, technology, espionage and intellectual property to attacks on the Chinese political system, raising the dangerous spectre that America wants to promote regime change in China.

The Chinese response has been to demand that the US stop bullying China, stop its interventionist inclination to mess with the domestic politics of other countries, and to calm relations through talks by seeking areas of collaboration even in difficult times.

Meanwhile, Americans’ views of China have continued to sour. A recent survey by the Pew Research Centre showed that 73 per cent of US adults say they have an unfavourable view of China, up 26 percentage points since 2018.

China’s systems of organisation and culture are so different from the general Western experience that demonisation has unfortunately become the default position. It seems that China can do no right, going by what is dished up every day in prominent American media.

It is not difficult to stir up animosity about China just by highlighting the differences in the two nations’ politics.

The US has a federal system built around representing 50 states, in which these states have a lot of power. Americans are hard-wired to believe in small government, and individual freedom is paramount. There is a huge private sector supporting economic and social activities.

The Chinese governing system, by contrast, has a concentrated centre with a massive administrative apparatus. It is a unitary, one-party state with a top-down, big government system and an economy that is heavily state-led. The government plays a dominant role in Chinese society.

The US president and members of the bicameral legislature are elected by the people, while Chinese leaders are chosen through an arduous and highly competitive internal party selection process.

China’s ruling party adopted Marxist-Leninist principles in constructing the state in the 20th century although Chinese statecraft has a very long history. In the West, communist systems are seen as inefficient and oppressive. In the US, even European socialism has a bad name.

China’s emphasis is on economic and social development. Political stability is seen as crucial to sustain the long-term implementation of transformative policies, where poverty alleviation is front and centre. China has invested heavily in education and basic infrastructure such as high-speed railways and digital networks.

Chinese engineers from Huawei, China Mobile build world’s highest 5G base station on Mount Everest

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Chinese engineers from Huawei, China Mobile build world’s highest 5G base station on Mount Everest

Decades ago, the US built impressive infrastructure but it has not kept up with continuing investments. The major political debate is on sharing wealth and closing the widening social divide.

The principles used to analyse economics do not quite fit when applied to China. State-led communist systems are not supposed to succeed. For example, a runaway property market, high debt levels and capital flight should lead to a gigantic crash but, somehow, the “inevitable” bust has yet to happen in China.

Western narratives about China fluctuate between the imminent collapse of its economic and political systems to China being a dark, fearsome plodder that is overtaking the world.

‘Frankenstein’ China requires more assertive global response, says US top diplomat Pompeo

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‘Frankenstein’ China requires more assertive global response, says US top diplomat Pompeo

The current US view is that China must be stopped and like-minded countries with liberal democratic, free-market systems should band together, otherwise the world will end up dominated by an autocratic, hegemonic, communist China, and that would lead to the collapse of the values that the West holds dear.

Meanwhile, China is trying to calm Western nerves through what its leaders see as pragmatic and persuasive statements – China does not want to impose its political system on others, it is opening up its large market to foreigners, and everyone should benefit from the economic and social advancement.

Yet, these narratives are not working and the two sides continue to talk past each other.

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Banning 92 million Communist Party members from America ‘ridiculous’, Beijing says

Pragmatism, so fundamental to the Chinese attitude to solving problems, is seen as low-order stuff when juxtaposed against deeply held beliefs about the brilliance of Western civilisation when it comes to democracy and freedom. This is the “We are free. The Chinese people are oppressed” argument and it is an effective rallying slogan to justify intervention.

However, we need to be aware that sentiments are often clouded by emotionally charged differences in ideology and culture that lead to misunderstanding, miscommunication and misinterpretation.

There is no common analytical framework that can be applied to China and the US – and for that matter, the West – that enables them to easily understand each other. Indeed, it is easy to vilify and make enemies of each other.

China’s state-led system, referred to as “socialism with Chinese characteristics”, deserves to be studied because it has resulted in a great measure of success. Its asymmetry with Western market systems should be a serious subject of research rather than merely dismissed.

Moreover, China’s rise, and Asia’s overall advance, is creating a multipolar world with multiple political, economic and social systems. That trajectory will continue.

Western values have penetrated far and wide – the attractiveness of universal suffrage and individual freedoms cannot be denied. Yet, non-Western sensibilities are emerging as Asian and other cultures become more global. Understanding and respecting them are important for people to live in peace with each other.

Christine Loh, a former undersecretary for the environment, is an adjunct professor at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology