The original article in German is here.
- Victor Gao, ex-interpreter to politician Deng Xiaoping and now Beijing’s mouthpiece, promotes China’s line in the West.
- In the midst of economic problems, China is trying to win back Europe as a partner - on the condition that it does not criticize Beijing.
Where other Chinese experts remain silent because the new anti-espionage law forces them to be cautious, Victor Gao [once Deng Xiaoping’s interpreter, now vice president of a government-affiliated think tank and figurehead for China’s propaganda] talks. And how. Whether CNN, BBC or al-Jazeera - everyone gets it from him, the party line, eloquently packaged and charmingly served.
[…]
His current mission: to woo Europe, while relations with the West are crumbling under the weight of Hong Kong, Taiwan, Xinjiang, corona and closing ranks with Russia.
[…]
Victor Gao demands: “Wake up from your American nightmare.” And immediately delivers the Chinese offer: less morality, more market. China as a “resource”, not a rival.
[…]
But behind the smile lurks geopolitical calculation.
After all, NATO has long been seen as the enemy, and Western democracies are described in China’s state media as decadent, refugee-ridden orders. At the same time, Gao preaches closing ranks in interviews - as long as Europe refrains from any criticism of Beijing.
[…]
Victor Gao, who translated Deng’s words into the international arena in the 1980s, embodies China’s transformation: from an aspiring reformist state to an autocratically controlled superpower under Xi Jinping.
What used to be openness is now demarcation - and yet: economic hardship is forcing China back towards rapprochement.
With the economic downturn in its own country, youth unemployment, the real estate crisis, demographic decline and mountains of debt, it now wants Europe back as a partner. Or at least as a market.
[…]
Gao describes Europe as a continent on the brink of collapse: “You have no more money at all,” he says. China, on the other hand? Ready to help. With experience, technology and growth. A kind of development aid - made in China.
But the price is high: no criticism. No geopolitics. No questions asked.
Human rights? Tibet? Xinjiang? Are elegantly omitted. Anyone who raises them is either a “gangster” financed by the USA or a naïve idealist. Gao prefers to sell the high-speed train network, the next 6G expansion and the bubbling growth figures.
Problems? “Of course there are,” he says - and immediately changes the subject.
[…]
Victor Gao says that Europe is too small to be an adversary.
But perhaps this is precisely Europe’s underestimated strength: not wanting to dominate, but to mediate between the extremes - without selling out.
Because Gao is right about one thing: the world as we know it is changing rapidly. But whether China’s charm offensive is more than just a tactical smile will be measured by whether Beijing wants genuine partnership - or just a Europe that shuts up and pays up.
Why should Europe leave the influence of the US just to bow to another hegemon? Why shouldn’t we do our own thing?
Because you can’t get past your minor differences and unite.
A truly united EU would dominate the world, but y’all want to maintain individual sovereignty over foreign affairs.
The problem here is: the EU currently works quite well overall for its citizens, precisely because there isn’t really one big player. It is considerably more difficult to commit crimes and atrocities on the scale of the US, Russia and China when you’re small, weak, and all your close allies are watching you. I don’t have any doubts that a united EU, a federation perhaps, like it was originally intended, would be the greatest power the world has ever seen. But it would come at a great cost to all of its citizens. In anywhere between 50-250 years it would most likely develop into an empire similar to the ones we have right now. Unless we could figure out some sort of new structure to combat these challenges, which in itself is a major undertaking.
The EU just got overthrown after dominating the world and making the world infinitely worse.
Europeans can never be global leaders ever again after performing the worst genocides in history and performing the most slavery in history, both on scales unimaginable in the modern world.
The EU was founded in 1993 and has never committed a genocide, as far as I know.
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Well I mean, you’ll be hard pressed to find any empire in history who didn’t dab in a little bit of genocide here and there, it’s not like european countries have a monopoly here.
Name me a civilization that didn’t commit genocide, and you’ll have found a civilization that didn’t have the chance to do it…
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Because all other countries of course are kisses and hugs correct? For context the peaceful Japan, as soon as it got military supremacy embraced in genocidal campaigns twice. The Arab had one of the longest, largest slavery network in history, China has probably the record for most deaths overall. And the list goes on.
The fact that the strong oppress the weak is human nature. On the opposite I would actually argue that the true change in government came from western civilization: the only one to start and success in abolishing slavery for example. The only one to invent and promote democracy.
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Is that a challenge? 🤨
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You seem like you aren’t a super nice person.
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Cool
With ideias like that you sure ain’t that different from those white colonialist.
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All those people are dead. Not only the part of history you know about, but also all of the other history you don’t have a clue about.
Everyone has perished.
Now we just look at the current world and what the state of it is.
If you’re going to be xenophobic about Europe, be my guest, but you’re just going to be bitter and accomplish nothing with it.
The EU has an income inequality gini of 0,29. We are the best in the whole world in solidarity. That’s just a fact.
USA has it at 0,42. China has it at 0,36.
China has barely any refugees, they think we are weak to have accepted refugees.
USA gives too much power to their president. They’ll learn from this.
Indonesia’s president is trying to put military into the government policy positions.
Myanmar is going batshit crazy.
Syria is fucked up.
Libya is fucked up.
Egypt has no women rights.
Israel is going full nazi
Russia is going full imperialist
Brazil has homicide rates like Ukraine
Etc etc
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That’s great, buddy
Well well well. Won’t you look at who would have done exactly the same thing as the european empires did, if they had the chance?
You’re not mad that it happened at all, you’re mad that it happened to you. Hypocrite.
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Do you realize how you’re quite literally advocating for genocide, and you see absolutely nothing wrong with that?
How are you any different from Europeans? Because you’ve been victim of oppression doesn’t make you any less likely to oppress others when given the chance, as you’re clearly demonstrating.
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China is predictable.
US used to be, but now it seems they can be taken over by the whims of a single deranged man
*with for some reason the entire KGB backing him
Until it attacks
I mean, shall we look at all countries’ track record of starting direct or proxy wars in the last 70 years or so to determine who’s more likely to attack?
Where was the CCP during the Korean War? Vietnam war? Who violently annexed Tibet? Who is constantly threatening Taiwan, building phony islands to claim Philippine, Vietnamese, and Malaysian territory?
Now they’re capturing Chinese soldiers in Ukraine, using Russia as a proxy against the west.
Not exactly doves.
my comment an exactly response to that too. some people are just opposed to authoritarian monopols uknow. Better to seek the option without these if u can
The supply of leading world economies who are friendly and democratic is now * does some quick math * zero.
Because despite having a so-called union Europe is about as united as a relatively disciplined herd of cats and has acute far right-osis. There are pretty big obstacles standing in the face of a Europe that can compete with America and China and not having enough weapons is only one of them.