Missing the Point
Common Western perceptions about China are misleading
MThe author is a former senior partner at Mckinsey & Company and a trustee of the New York-based China Institute
any in the United States view China’s explosive growth as a threat to U.S. global economic dominance. However, key misunderstandings and misconceptions held by U.S. people toward China are actually the true root of the tension between the two countries.
Extreme misrepresentations of China and the Chinese way of life are prevalent in U.S. news and politics. Some are driven by fear of being surpassed economically, but most are driven by simple but significant misunderstandings about China’s history and culture, its way of life, how it developed, why it is so very different from the United States, and the inherent contrasts between an individualistic culture, like the United States, and a collectivistic culture, like China.
Western news excessively criticizes China on a range of issues, including trade, intellec- tual property rights, the South China Sea and the treatment of Muslims in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Most of these criticisms challenge China’s intent without considering facts.
The heart of the issue is best captured by a quote from Hank Greenberg, who built American International Group into the world’s leading insurance company and has extensive experience in China. He said, “The histories and cultures of countries are vastly different, so it is unrealistic to expect China to have a political system that parallels any other.” In that spirit, I would identify the following as core U.S. misperceptions about China.
The United States considers that any government (China’s) other than a Western electoral democracy is unaccountable and therefore not legitimate.
The Chinese model selects leaders meritocratically by examining performance and peer respect over time, and it works. The collective results of China’s leaders are impressive and I can personally attest to their breadth, depth of experience and competence, as well as their deep commitment to the well-being of the Chinese people. By contrast, the U.S. system struggles to address key issues due to the inherent division in a multiparty electoral system that relies on expensive media campaigns rather than relevant experience and accomplishments. While the U.S. system may differ greatly from China’s, it’s impossible to deny that China’s model is effective and serves its people well.
The United States tends to think that China is likely to head in the same direction as the former Soviet Union.
The former Soviet Union was militarily aggressive, while China is not. To compare South China Sea disputes to the takeover of Eastern Europe and the Baltics is beyond a stretch. China has focused its efforts for more than 40 years on improving the well-being of its people, lifting 700 million out of poverty. Its economic performance under reform and opening up is spectacular.
The United States thinks that China limits human rights.
No issue generates more criticism from the United States toward China than the perception that the Chinese people don’t have human rights.
When I asked Chinese people about personal freedoms, the typical answer was, “I can do whatever I want.” When pressed on political freedoms, the average response was, “We have a system that has responded to the people’s needs over the past 40 years. Why would I try to undermine the government?” U.S. criticisms fail to recognize the realities of the China model.
Underneath these common Western misconceptions are a few simple but significant causes.
The United States ignores historical differences between the two countries.
The United States typically overlooks two key historical differences which underlie most core misunderstandings. The first is the role of the Central Government.
In the United States, the founding fathers decided on a minimalist government, which would be unable to hinder entrepreneurs or business people seeking equal economic opportunities. They sought to escape the class-driven economic model that constrained them in Europe. The minimalist