American politicians’ harmful and poisonous narrative about China hurts US interests
An op-ed article from a scholar at a leading American university should at least attempt to offer a balanced account of the complex nature of China-US relations. Unfortunately, a recent op-ed in the New York Times comes up short in this effort. And that is why it is important to analyze what was written and what was left out.
Rory Truex, an associate professor at Princeton University, is spot on when he urges American citizens to stop “suffering from a chronic case of China anxiety.”
But in failing to include some critical elements that would have enhanced his argument, and perhaps led to a reduction in that fear, he misses the mark.
It is true that “the US government and American politicians [continue] to pursue policies grounded in repression and exclusion” involving China because of the fear over what China is and what it is capable of becoming. High-profile stories such as the indefensible decision made by US President Joe Biden administration to announce new tariffs on electric vehicles and other cutting-edge technologies made in China are proof that Washington is operating under a blanket of fear. In the minds of the Washington elite, if China does something well, it cheated; and if it does something poorly, then the society is falling apart.
Both arguments are irrational. Yet irrational defines Washington’s attitude toward Beijing these days.
In the US, tired arguments claiming that Beijing is the locus of espionage, cyberattacks and other dirty tricks are heard all the time in political and mainstream media discourse.
American politicians ought to support the country’s key interests, but being resolute in defending the nation and bashing the (supposed) enemy are not the same. The nonstop negative comments about China and its global ambitions poison American public opinion.
The nasty rhetoric that emanated from the White House when Donald Trump was president led to discrimination against Chinese and all people of Asian descent living in the US. The pandemic added fuel to this fire of discrimination. More recently, multiple Chinese students have been interrogated about their families and their personal beliefs as they stepped off airplanes at US airports.
These are just three examples of why a consistent onesided and negative narrative about China must stop.
America’s political and media elite need to communicate the benefits of America and China being partners in solving some of the world’s most pressing challenges. This alone would be a powerful way to alter public opinion. The narrative that China is bad and cannot be trusted scores domestic political points. However, it also ensures that there is no way for people who want the two nations to be viewed as allies to be taken seriously in American public discourse. Ignoring the tangible benefits that would derive from cooperation over confrontation leaves no room for US citizens to see how China bashing hurts both the US and China.
Truex states that if the United States “is to properly compete with China, it’s going to require healthy, balanced policymaking that protects US national security without compromising core American values.”
And what are those core values? If economic opportunity for all is one, then how does any American defend the chronic economic inequality in the country? If supporting people of all races and creeds is one, then how does any American defend the legacy of racism and fear of “the other” in the country? If supporting the rights of people around the globe to endorse the government they want is legitimate, then how does any American defend the many examples of the US government interfering in elections and the domestic agendas of countries all over the world?
If you are looking for any acknowledgment from Washington that the US is lagging behind China in some of the most cutting-edge technologies and therefore wants to derail China’s progress until American companies can catch up, forget it.
If America is to take a “deep breath,” which Truex urges the country to do, and reassess the message about China, then honesty is needed. Honesty requires an admission that seeing China only as a proverbial bogeyman will continue to damage the welfare of American citizens (and for that matter the global community) and allow people of Chinese or Asian descent to be at high risk of verbal or physical attacks.