ASIA AFFAIRS

PATRICE GREANVILLE—China is clearly a civilization on the march. Bathed in optimism about the future, as America itself once was; fueled by a genuine fraternal and egalitarian philosophy, it continues to set new records for human accomplishment in innumerable areas. But its new ascendancy to global power status, which it enjoyed once for many centuries, instead of harming humanity, benefits it. The images below illustrate why she is feared by those whose own squalid thinking prevents them from believing peaceful coexistence is not only possible but imperative in the 21st century. 

PEPE ESCOBAR—Xiang reminds us that a market economy – including private ownership, free land transactions, and highly specialized mobile labor – was established in China as early as in 300 B.C. Moreover, “as early as in the Ming dynasty, China had acquired all the major elements that were essential for the British Industrial Revolution in the 18th century.” Which brings us to a persistent historical enigma: why the Industrial Revolution did not start in China? Xiang turns the question upside down: “Why traditional China needed an industrial revolution at all?”

GODFREE ROBERTS—Why has the Chinese government failed to convince the American public that China is their friend or at least not their enemy? That is a damn good question, with a surprisingly simple answer. At present, 90% of Americans learn about China through Western media, so it’s hard for the Chinese Government to convince Americans of anything.

JEFF J. BROWN—It’s sad, but like the bogus Muslim concentration camp Big Lie, it works every time. The problem is 99% of Westerners mistakenly believe they have a “free press”, barely read beyond the well-orchestrated, sensational headlines, swallow it all as gospel truth, post it on their Facebook and Twitter pages, then are “experts” at the dinner table and around the water cooler at work – Hey, look at me, I subscribe to the Economist and the New York Times! This, while they are equally brainwashed that socialist, communist, anti-imperial media are all “totalitarian” and unworthy of consideration. What the BLPM does is ingeniously and diabolically effective.

LEONID SAVIN—Stories about bad guys tend to be the most effective. In general, the idea of the villain is used in the methodology of the political frame – the technique is always used in US elections, but it is also widely used in foreign policy. A test tube filled with washing powder can be waved around and Saddam Hussein can be accused of having chemical weapons. That was a story that did its job perfectly. Accusing Iran of preparing to develop nuclear weapons proved to be more complicated. Now, the volleys of an information war against China can be heard. While America’s top officials and bureaucrats do their thing, the country’s corporate media outlets are developing other avenues.