Dissidents exhaust lives as China prospers

Chinese prison authorities tried their best to treat Liu Xiaobo, and approved his family’s application for a sea burial after his death. His older brother Liu Xiaoguang said that the sea- burial request was made “from the bottom of their hearts” and thanked the Chinese government for its assistance.

However, the Western media still points the fi nger at Beijing. It’s an illusion to expect that China and the West can mutually accept each other’s public opinion and values. Reactions from the West are not criteria to evaluate China’s deeds, and we must remain unyielding to Western voices.

Dissidents exiled overseas accused the Chinese government of removing any trace of Liu Xiaobo through having a sea burial, and instigated the message that his death be turned into an “opportunity” to change China. Most of these losers, increasingly marginalized over- seas, are trying every means to reboot their image.

China is under the rule of the Communist Party of China, and this is the primary reason for the West’s relentless attacks. As ideological confl icts between China and the West are deeply entrenched, it’s naïve to think that as long as we accept the rational parts of Western values, the West will be impartial in its evaluation of China. Radical forces in the West will never accept China’s system and can always fi nd excuses to attack China, and Liu Xiaobo is an example of this.

Geopolitics is another reason for the West to accuse China. It’s worth noting that although Russia has implemented multi- party elections after the fall of the Soviet Union, the US and its allies still stand as a united front to suppress Russia and Vladimir Putin. The West often commends India, because the country is still weak in its comprehen- sive strength. If India rose to be a major US strategic competitor, Washington would for sure change its attitude toward New Delhi.

Many dissidents were not convinced when Liu Xiaobo was “granted” the Nobel Peace Prize. After his death, the Western forces may choose a new “standard- bearer,” a crown that dissidents may compete to get. Some radical forces may continue to make an issue out of Liu Xiaobo’s death in the days to come until the topic can no longer benefi t their narratives.

International public opinion toward China is unlikely to see a fundamental improvement before the West totally accepts China’s rise and approves the country’s political and economic paths. Therefore, China’s public opinion strategy should shift from convincing the West to uniting its people and enhancing society’s confi dence.

China is on the right development path, which facts and experience have proven. Admittedly, there are many problems in China, but Chinese institutions are determined and dedicated to solving these problems. Western forces and dissidents like Liu Xiaobo are disruptors of China’s steady progress.

In this contention that is of historical signifi cance, China is defying pressure from the West and strives to succeed along the path leading to its rise. Successive waves of dissidents that worship Western values have been marginalized, suggesting the West is losing the initiative in suppressing China’s rise.

Liu Xiaobo’s personal tragedy proves that surrendering to the West in politics will only end in failure. The lives of other dissidents, for instance, Fang Lizhi, Wei Jingsheng and Wang Dan, have been exhausted in the endless wait for “China’s collapse.”