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Chinese teenagers walk past the portraits of Chinese leaders at an exhibition in Beijing Sept. 22, 2009. (LIU JIN/AFP/Getty Images)
Today, China is frequently in the news, and its manufactured goods seem to be omnipresent in our stores. We regularly hear accounts of China being destined to be the world’s next superpower. For example, consider the titles of two magazines’ special reports: Newsweek’s “China’s Century,” and U.S. News & World Report’s “The China Challenge.”
There is a growing fascination with the culture and language of this ancient and historical land. This brings us to ask ourselves what we have heard in the media and what we think we know about China.
Communist in Name Only?
Although there is still a one party system with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) being in power since 1949, we are told that the Party is now Communist in name only. Ever since the successors of Mao Zedong opened China to the West, it seems to have become almost a completely different nation from what it had been under his dictatorship.
The terror of that era appears to be merely an ugly memory of a past that is totally irrelevant to the present, with an even better future to come. The state-controlled media would have us believe that there is no longer a serious human rights problem; China has made commendable progress toward becoming a democracy; the economy is booming, and almost one-third of her population has been moved from the abject poverty to the ranks of the solid middle class or far better.
This line of thinking sees capitalism thriving and soon greater political freedom would inevitably follow. Finally, the Tiananmen Massacre, which occurred twenty years ago, was only a “glitch” in China’s march to freedom. Still in the midst of all of this pro-China publicity, a few dissenting voices are being heard. Moreover, their number is growing rapidly, and their protests are becoming more vocal. Meanwhile, occasional stories about civil unrest and riots (like the disturbances among the Uyghurs in Xinjiang Province) are reaching us. Many are beginning to ask, “What is the truth, and is it even possible to know the real situation?”
Could we learn the answers to our questions by learning from the mistakes of the past, especially those regarding our experiences with the former Soviet Union and the Iron Curtain countries of Eastern Europe?
Shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union, I had the privilege of speaking with a man who had recently retired from the United States armed forces. This of course, was nothing really unusual, but what was interesting was that this person had worked in military intelligence from 1983 to 1987, with the NATO forces stationed in what was then West Germany. I inquired as to whether they believed that anything like the fall of the Iron Curtain and the subsequent collapse of the Soviet Union was imminent. His response genuinely surprised me: He said that they had no indication that any such event was likely; as far as they knew, a divided Europe, with Communism in the eastern nations and the Soviet Union would continue for the indefinite future. There had been no indications of serious unrest, weakness, or instability.
Today we know that the collapse of both the Iron Curtain, and ultimately the Soviet Union was less than five years away from the date that he left his assignment with military intelligence.
Communist Propaganda
How could it be possible that seemingly competent and professional people would have been so greatly misinformed? The answer lies in the source of that information. They had been getting most of their information from Soviet government sources, rather than conducting more thorough research; almost none of the data had been gathered from grassroots contacts with the everyday people or careful inquiry into the economies of those nations. Instead, they had obtained much of their facts and figures from Soviet propaganda and official statistics. Certainly, the data would reflect success and not failure for the Communist system.
We now know that reality was quite different, but our foreign policy was guided by myths and disinformation. Part of this may be attributed to lazy and sloppy work, but not all of it. Some of the “engagement and dialogue” philosophy had wanted the American public to believe that the Soviet Union was much more than a “paper tiger” with a failing system. Perhaps the greatest error was in our estimation of the size of the Soviet economy relative to our own. Official data had put the figure at about 55% of the United States, while shortly before the Soviet collapse President Gorbachev admitted that the correct estimate was 28%. Our estimates had effectively doubled the actual size of the Soviet economy.
Are we Deceived and Misled about China?
The question remains, “Are we being equally deceived and misled in what we think we know about China today?” In addition to the growing voices of dissent, other news and information sources seem to indicate that we are. In order to better understand the truth, let’s look beneath the guises and debunk some of the myths. A guise is an outer appearance, costume, or disguise, often used to conceal the true nature or appearance of someone or something.
One of the guising myths is that China is destined to become the world’s next superpower. Government figures of double digit economic growth and tourist information support this, but how well does this align with reality? Let’s take a look at two reasonably objective sources of information, the 2009 World Almanac of Time and The World Almanac and Book of Facts, respectively. The Time Almanac lists the average per capita income for China at $2,035 American dollars. The figures were for the year 2006. By comparison, Mexico’s annual per capita income was $7,775 American Dollars, almost four times that of China for the same year.
Here is what The World Almanac and Book of Facts shows: China’s average per capita income was $5,300 American dollars, and Mexico’s by contrast was $12,800 American dollars. Both of these publications are at least slightly liberal and would tend to be favorable to China, but here the information plainly shows for anyone to see. This certainly gives us a much different picture than what most of us have been led to believe. The other fact that I wish to point out is the great difference between the numbers shown in the two almanacs. The figure in the The World Almanac and Book of Facts is over two and one-half times that of Time’s statistics.
This seems to indicate that any economic information which we receive is extremely subjective and controversial. The reality is that less than 10% of China’s population enjoys a middle class or better standard of living. One news release stated that 8% of the population enjoys 55% of the nation’s wealth, while the other 92% struggles to survive on the remaining 45%.
Government Confiscation and Corruption
Occasionally I have spoken with people who have traveled to these “other” places in China, and they have confirmed that this is true. Over 20% of the people are what we would call “working poor” here in the United States, just surviving from week to week. Most of these are city dwellers. About 70% are peasant farmers, and most of them are very poor. Many of them have lost their property to government confiscation and corruption and are migrating to the cities looking for employment. This is clearly a guising China and not a rising China. Another source of statistics indicated that in 2002, the average per capita income was $4,700 or less than $400 per month.
By contrast, the average citizen of Taiwan earned $22,750 or almost five times that of the average mainlander. A small group is very wealthy, and many of these are members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). What is further misleading is that most tourist and foreign government officials who generally see “showcase” areas, will return home feeling that they have seen China. These places would include Greater Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and a few other pockets. These tours are often conducted to insure that visitors only see and experience what will enhance the government’s international image. Instead of returning with a better knowledge of modern China, these people are merely deceived at a higher level.
Another Deception or Guise
Also a common deception or guise is that China’s present government is a positive influence for the world’s economic and political security. The facts demonstrate otherwise. First, is China’s need for oil imports, which are about 60% or more of its total consumption. If you have noticed higher prices at the pump during the past several years, China is a big part of this. Iran is just one of the nations from which China has been getting her oil. Some reports claim that much of Iran’s nuclear research is aided by China.
Moreover, while projecting an image of being a restraining force on North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, this may be just an insincere display of international diplomacy. Any challenge that North Korea can pose to the West is most likely to China’s advantage. Chinese support of oil rich Venezuela has been another source of difficulty for us.
Then there is the problem of our massive trade deficits, which arise chiefly from large quantities of Chinese imports. These trade deficits have become part of our rapidly growing national debt, and China’s share is over $2 trillion. This is just the “tip of the iceberg”; manufacturing jobs are being lost in the United States, and this is often due to our attempting to compete against what is practically slave labor. Many factories are run by —you guessed it—the Chinese Communist Party and their workers that include prisoners of conscience and dissenters, who are paid token wages.
Transplants and Executions
Another guise or delusion is that terror, injustice, and human rights abuses have become a thing of the past, and today’s government is Communist in name only. Once again, occasional news leaks clearly reveal otherwise. For example, there are fairly well documented accounts of Falun Gong practitioners and “illegal” (house or “non-registered“) Christians being butchered and their vital organs being sold for transplants. There are more executions in China than in the rest of the world. There are more suicides than in the rest of the world.
One Child Policy
China’s “One Child Policy” includes mandatory abortions, which coupled with the cultural preference for boys, has produced a shortage of young females. Many young men are unable to find wives, and prostitution is a serious problem. Almost all of the Chinese children available for international adoption are girls, but those are often the lucky ones. Others sometimes end up in “orphanages,” where they die from neglect and abuse. Those who grow up in families do so as an only child, frequently pampered by their parents, becoming China’s “little emperors” and generally lacking the social skills acquired from interacting with siblings. Further studies indicate that China is not overpopulated; in fact, Taiwan has a population density of almost five times that of the mainland, and they are able to adequately feed all of their people with surplus food available for export.
Chinese Communist Party Delusion
Very similar to this delusion is the argument that the Chinese Communist Party is the only government that can hold China together. These people are quick to point out that there are independence (or secessionist) movements in both predominantly Buddhist Tibet and the heavily Muslim Xinjiang province. Some of these are violent and militant. The argument continues that if the CCP were overthrown, these provinces would declare their independence. The result would be that China would fall into civil war, while anarchy and economic collapse would inevitably follow. Therefore, it is in the best interest of both China and the world to keep a stable, although brutal, repressive, and corrupt, government in control. First, this argument employs what is called the Fallacy of Limited Options. It implies that there are only two choices available: either CCP rule or anarchy and economic collapse. This is ludicrous and deceptive.
There are many other healthy and sensible alternatives to CCP rule; here are just a few:
1. A restored monarchy (most likely in constitutional form with the emperor having to deal with something like a Parliament or Yuan);
2. Fair, honest, and open democratic elections.
These are only two possible options, with numerous variations. The second flaw in this argument is that the corrupt and brutal nature of the CCP is a major part of the problem. The Tibetans and Muslims are tired of being bullied and exploited by the corrupt and unfit CCP, just as African-Americans were tired of segregation and second class citizenship. They want respect, justice, and prosperity. What they have gotten is genocide (at least in Tibet), repression, and fear. They want to be free of CCP rule just as any repressed and marginalized minority desires to alter or abolish the system that has harassed and persecuted them. They would almost certainly support and embrace a government that proved worthy of their respect and cooperation.
Trashed Environment
One of China’s problems is that in its frantic bid to become an economic superpower, she has trashed her environment. I personally witnessed some of this on my own visits in 2006 and 2007. The streams were so polluted that the water was green, and I could not see even one inch below the surface. There was an insecticide smell in the air. The streets and sidewalks were dirty and dusty. Trash was placed in concrete structures, which were about two or three times the size of a telephone booth. Sniffing dogs and flies were nearby. In addition, I saw large numbers of police. Other sources assert that the reckless harvesting of wood has caused desertification and ongoing loss of farmland, especially in the drier north. Upon my visit to South Korea in 2008, a college professor suggested that the Three Gorges Dam was the cause of the tragic earthquake in the Sichuan Province. He mentioned that moving a massive amount of weight on the earth’s surface could produce such a disturbance, even claiming that the Chinese Communist Party may have been aware of the risks before hand, but, he maintained, such a loss of life would not matter to them.
There is much more to share including massive corruption and repression by the government. Many of the top officials have become very rich through bribes and abuse of power; fear and indoctrination still keep the people under control, but this is quickly weakening. The voices of dissent are being heard, and the lies are being cast aside.
A Better Future for China and the World?
The question that remains is, “How should we respond to build a better future for China and our world?” First, I would suggest that we stay informed. Accordingly a list of additional sources of information will follow this discussion. Second, we should stay alert since a more objective reporting of the facts occasionally does leak out into the news. Generally, we have to look for these accounts as they are buried inconspicuously in most newspapers or magazines. Armed with more accurate information, we can share this with others, but expect some resistance from some who have only heard the “standard line” from the Chinese Communist Party. One more suggestion is to research how our elected officials are dealing with the Chinese government. Are they of the “engagement and dialogue” philosophy, or do they see this for the threat that it is? One of our senators from California is married to a billionaire, who trades extensively with China. In addition, he owns a defense corporation. He is making money bankrolling a totalitarian regime, and then he is making more money by selling defense contracts to our government. These are paid for with our tax dollars. Moreover, his wife is on the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee. This just might become a conflict of interest. We need to vote intelligently when she runs for reelection.
Over 64 Million Renounced CCP Membership
Furthermore, we can contact our representatives and Senators encouraging them to pressure for a change of government in China. Also, we need to support renunciations of Chinese Communist Party memberships. As of now, over 64 million people have renounced their party membership; this is becoming a mass exodus. The Epoch Times newspaper has regular updates on the number of renunciations. Another action is to boycott or at least limit our purchase of goods made in Mainland China and politely protest to managers or owners of businesses which stock large quantities of them.
Suggested China Action Plan for Individuals and Groups
1. Stay informed. (See below the list of sources for further research).
2. Stay alert. (Be on the lookout for more objective reporting of facts and information regarding China).
3. Share the truth with others, but expect resistance from some.
4. Research how our elected representatives are responding to the challenge that China is posing, and vote accordingly.
5. Boycott or at least limit purchases of products made in Mainland China, and politely protest to store owners and managers who carry large quantities of these products.
6. Pressure for a change in the government of Mainland China.
7. Pressure our leaders to grant full diplomatic recognition to Taiwan, equal to that presently given to Mainland China. If this is unacceptable to Mainland China, then we might want to consider withdrawing our recognition from the government in Beijing.
Suggestions for Further Research
1. The Epoch Times newspaper in print and on the internet, www.theepochtimes.com
2. The World Almanac and Book of Facts, 2009 Edition. World Almanac Books. Published by Readers Digest Trade Publishing.
3. Time Almanac Powered by Encyclopedia Britannica, 2009 Edition.
4. Safely Home, a novel by Randy Alcorn. Tyndale House Publishers, 2001.
5. Mao: The Unknown Story by Jung Chang and Jon Halliday. Anchor Books, 2006.
6. National Geographic, May, 2008 Issue.
7. The Bible League, www. bibleleague.org
8. Voice of the Martyrs, www.votm.com
9. Miscellaneous books, magazines, and other media. Stay alert in order to find them. Informational articles are often buried inconspicuously in these informational sources.
Jay Himmelberg is a public speaker with a focus on China; he has taught English in China and has traveled through the country.
