The China Dilemma
By wchung | 22 Feb, 2025

We can criticize China as long as we don't assume differences are shortcomings.

China poses a dilemma for us.

As Americans we abhor its apparent willingness to disregard cherished ideals of democray and civil rights when we read about people incarcerated or worse for their political views. As Asian Americans we can’t help taking pride in its economic vitality and stunning modernization when we watch the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics or admire its awe-inspiring cities. As human beings we are heartened by its success in raising a fifth of humanity from colonial exploitation and hopeless poverty.

So what attitude should we adopt toward China?

This isn’t a purely academic question with consequences confined to our private psyches. Our attitudes translate into votes for candidates who advocate pro or anti-China policies, dollars for goods made in China or even trips to China. In short, our attitudes toward China determine the place China will come to occupy in global society. Our dual perspective as Asian Americans accord us more clout in the marketplace of ideas.

So should we applaud China or should we condemn it? The short answer is both.

The idea that any nation is deserving of unalloyed applause or scorn must pass into history along with notions like slavery, manifest destiny, the axis of evil and the infallibility of pure capitalism.

More than any other nation in modern history, China has taught humanity stark lessons in the virtues of tolerance and moderation. Mao’s Cultural Revolution illustrated the monumental waste of human resources brought on by didacticism. Only after Deng Xiaoping encouraged free enterprise and the attendant social liberalization 30 years ago did China enter its renaissance as one of the world’s two great powers.

Deng’s stunning triumph of tolerance entailed melding socialist ideals long associated with communism with capitalist ideal long reviled by Marxists as the ultimate instrument of oppression of the masses.

We Americans like to poke fun at China’s mantra “socialism with Chinese characteristics” as a mere fig leaf for perpetuating undemocratic practices. It took the worst global financial crisis in 80 years — brought on precisely by the core values most cherished by western capitalists — for us to see the virtues of a system that doesn’t enthrone greed above all else. China’s moderation in adopting capitalist and even democratic principles can be credited with letting it continue growing at an 8% clip during a year of 2.9% negative growth for the world, helping to keep the global economy from total meltdown and even chaos from which there would have been no easy recovery.

Japan and S. Korea are examples of Asian economies which, despite their rapid growth, prosperity and modernization, were of little help against the financial crisis because they had given up any semblance of independence in embracing all the excesses of the western capitalist system.

Does this excuse the political abuses we continue to hear about in China? Not at all. China is far from perfect. We Asian Americans can and should continue to point out the ways it falls short. But that criticism would be far more effective if it is paired with a recognition of the ways in which we in the United States often violate our own highest ideal of truth and fairness out of sheer sanctimony, hypocrisy, selfishness and just plain peeve. What come to mind are our policies on global warming, nuclear arms reduction, Cuba, North Korea, arms proliferation, war on drugs, support for the UN and the use of drones to kill large numbers of civilians while pretending to care about the torture of terror suspects. But those are topics for other days.