Godfree Roberts
1940 • 2026
Our dear friend, colleague, and superior sinologist Godfree Roberts has just left us. His mission in life, expressed with characteristic humility, was summed up in a few words: "I’ve tracked China’s rise since '61. Now unpacking why it leads: democracy at the bottom, data in the middle, talent at the top." His weekly newsletter “Here Comes China” was and will remain an exemplary, highly engaging form of mass education about a crucial subject: the true nature and direction of China, this planet's most consequential and probably most misunderstood nation. Godfree knew that the torrent of ever-present malicious lies cranked out by the West about China would inevitably lead to war, and possibly the destruction of our planet. He saw that acquiring and spreading the truth by every means available was the only antidote. He also knew this task was urgent, and becoming more so with each passing day. That's why he never stopped in his labours. I never met Godfree in person, certainly my loss, but over the years the injection of his materials into The Greanville Post, generously extended free of charge by Godfree, did much to perfect and expand the quality of the discussion about China, (already high due to the contributions of fellow China experts Frans Vandenbosch and Jeff J. Brown, the latter also our senior associate editor and personal friend). Since the purpose of these lines is not vanity, let me just add that this event hit me hard, too. Maybe it's my own advancing years. Let Frans' words, therefore, speak for me in this space. He says exactly what I wanted to say. Only better. —PG
I never met Godfree in person, certainly my loss, but over the years the injection of his materials into The Greanville Post, generously extended free of charge by Godfree, did much to perfect and expand the quality of the discussion about China, (already high due to the contributions of fellow China experts Frans Vandenbosch and Jeff J. Brown, the latter also our senior associate editor and personal friend). Since the purpose of these lines is not vanity, let me just add that this event hit me hard, too. Maybe it's my own advancing years. Let Frans' words, therefore, speak for me in this space. He says exactly what I wanted to say. Only better. —PG
In memory of Godfree Roberts, 1940-2026
| News has reached me of the passing of Godfree Roberts in Chiang Mai, at the age of 86. Jeff J. Brown shared the news, and it has hit me hard. I knew Godfree for more than ten years. Over that time our friendship grew through long, intense email exchanges that never ran dry of ideas. He was, without question, one of the sharpest minds I have ever encountered. Godfree's book, "Why China Leads the World", remains the finest work on China I have ever read. He spent decades in China and near the Chinese border in Thailand, watching the country change close up rather than from a distance. His writing carried a strict, straightforward, almost scientific clarity. There was no padding in his prose, no hedging, just argument built on evidence. What struck me most was his temperament. His health was weak for years, yet his outlook stayed cheerful and optimistic. He kept working, kept publishing his newsletter, kept engaging with readers and friends, right to the end. Only a few weeks ago he republished one of my articles. That gesture meant a great deal, coming from someone whose judgement I respected so highly. I still think back to our lunch together in Chiang Mai on 25 October 2024. We talked for hours, ranging widely over China, history and the state of the world. It was the kind of conversation that stays with you. Godfree spent his life pushing back against lazy, hostile narratives about China, insisting that people look at facts rather than assumptions. He did this not as propaganda but as correction, grounded in fifty years of study and direct experience. He leaves behind a body of work that will keep informing readers long after him. He also leaves a gap among those of us who valued his friendship and his fierce, clear-eyed honesty. Rest well, Godfree. Your work continues. — Frans Vandenbosch 方腾波 |
Godfree (l) - Frans Vandenbosch (r)
Godfree Roberts discusses his new book, “Why China Leads the World: Talent, Data and Democracy”.
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