In my new book ‘The Struggle for Democracy in Mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong’ I critique the ‘winner-takes-all’ (你死我活) conception of politics in the People’s Republic of China /1
On p.73 I cite Thomas Gold’s definition of Chinese political culture /2
I subsequently quote Joseph Fewsmith who “suggests that a ‘winner-take-all conception of politics has been the hallmark of CCP politics’”/3
Why am I revisiting these paragraphs in my new book? This morning I read Andrew Higgins New York Times report from Monday, 26 August on Jimmy Lai, the 71-year old Hong Kong tycoon, owner of the online Next magazine and staunch supporter of the pro-democracy movement /4
Higgins points out that Chinese state-media has vilified Lai “as a CIA agent, a ‘black hand’, and a member of an American-directed ‘gang of four’ supposedly responsible for orchestrating the Hong Kong protest movement”.
These accusations reveal the paranoia among CCP leaders /5
But the most remarkable paragraph in Higgins excellent New York Times report comes a bit later, which reveals the real-world implications of the CCP’s political culture of ‘you die, I live’ (你死我活) /6
Higgins writes: “China’s relentless campaign of vilification against Mr. Lai took a particular nasty turn this month when his name was purged from the genealogical records of his family across the border in southern China” /7
This act of ‘eliminating names’ — in this case Jimmy Lai’s — supports Thomas Gold’s definition of Chinese political culture /8
Higgins reports: “His relatives, according to a report in Ta Kung Pao, a Communist Party-controlled newspaper in Hong Kong that invariably refers to him as ‘fatty Lai’, deleted his name from a family tree going back 28 generations, declaring him a ‘traitor’ to his ancestors... /9
... and his country who is no longer part of the clan.”
Anyone vaguely familiar with Chinese culture and society will understand how crass this campaign of demonization of Chinese party-state critics like Jimmy Lai is /10
Anyone who still believes that the Chinese Communist Party is a guardian of ‘Chinese culture’ and anyone who argues that the cultural identity of China is somehow pre-political should reflect on what has just happened to Jimmy Lai, a very good and decent man /End
Are we seeing the dawn of Communist Chinese Imperialism? Christopher Ford sees echoes of European imperialism in the Chinese Communist Party's Global South strategy. Join me to find out more /1 newparadigmsforum.com/call-it-by-its…
First, a few words about the author. Christopher Ford served as U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation (2018-21). He has also written three books on China. He can be seen as a pracademic, a practicing academic /2 newparadigmsforum.com/about
I learned about Christopher Ford's excellent scholarship when doing research for my new book 'Germany and China'. I was keen to learn more about China's strategic culture. I found his theoretical and practical insights utterly convincing and compelling /3 nbr.org/publication/be…
Scholz will einen "großen Krieg" mit Russland verhindern. Und auf unfaire Handelspraktiken Chinas dürfe die EU nicht so reagieren "dass wir uns selbst schädigen". Jeweils kommt die gleiche defätistische Denk- und Redefigur zu Einsatz: bloß keine Eskalation. Ein kurzer 🧵 /1
Der Raketenangriff nach dem Telefonat mit Putin zeigt: Russland eskaliert, während Scholz und Plötner immer noch glauben, man könne durch gutes Zureden ein radikal-revisionistisches Regime dazu bringen, den völkerrechtswidrigen Angriffskrieg zu beenden /2 theguardian.com/world/2024/nov…
Bei unfairen Handelspraktiken Chinas sieht es nicht besser aus. Anstatt die Automobil-Lobbyisten in Berlin zu ignorieren kuscht @Bundeskanzler Scholz was Schutzzölle auf E-Autos angeht vor Peking. Auch hier lautet das Motto: bloß keine Eskalation /3 wiwo.de/politik/europa…
Frank-Walter Steinmeier sollte sich an Willy Brandt ein Vorbild nehmen. Brandt hatte 1990 im Gespräch mit Studenten in Paris die Größe, einen zentralen Irrtum in seiner Ostpolitik einzugestehen. Ein kurzer 🧵 /1
Für sein Buch "Polen und Deutsche" (Suhrkamp, 2011) sprach Hofmann mit dem ehemaligen polnischen Außenminister Geremek. Dabei ging es unter anderem auch um das angespannte Verhältnis zwischen deutschen Sozialdemokraten und der polnischen Oppositionsbewegung Solidarność /2
Geremek erzählt Hofmann eine wichtige Anekdote. Hofmann schreibt in seinem Buch: "Im Jahr 1990 traf er mit Willy Brandt und Alexander Dubček in Paris zusammen ... »Ein schönes Treffen, für uns drei sehr interessant«, erinnert sich Geremek mit einem Lächeln auf den Lippen." /2
Do you think that China can be a reliable partner in the fight against climate change? Then think again /1
It is true that the Chinese leadership has formulated ambitious climate targets. In 2020, Xi Jinping declared the goal of making the People's Republic climate-neutral by 2060 /2bbc.co.uk/news/science-e…
But the reality is different: Coal remains the undisputed central source of energy, and China is consistently undermining the goal of climate neutrality by rapidly expanding coal-fired power plants, at home and abroad /3 bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
Steinmeiers Wutausbruch nach Martins Kritik zeigt, warum wir bei der Entwicklung einer neuen deutschen strategischen Kultur nicht vorankommen. Wenn sich die besten Ideen durchsetzen sollen, brauchen wir robuste öffentliche Debatten. Doch Widerspruch ist leider nicht erwünscht /1
Steinmeier war unter Merkel zwei Mal Aussenminister, 2005-2009 und 2013-2017. Sein Konzept "Annäherung durch Verflechtung" war ein wenig durchdachtes Imitat von Bahrs Ostpolitik "Wandel durch Annäherung". Steinmeiers außenpolitische Doktrin wurde sukzessive zu einem Dogma /2
Wie ich in meinem Buch "Germany and China" (Bloomsbury, 2024) dargelegt habe, zielte die Steinmeier-Doktrin nicht auf Liberalisierung autokratischer Länder ab, sondern ermöglichte billige Gasimporte aus Russland, stärkte den Handel mit China und normalisierte damit Diktaturen /3
35 years after Germany's peaceful revolution of 1989, the renowned author Marko Martin has publicly criticised President #Steinmeier. His excellent critique was long overdue. But it is not enough. Once a new government is formed Steinmeier should resign /1
First the Russian invasion of Ukraine, then the mass murder by Hamas terrorists in Israel: following the 'Zeitenwende' of 24 February 2022 our world is coming apart at the seams. The misguided foreign policy of the incumbent German President has contributed to this outcome /2
Steinmeier was foreign minister twice under Merkel, 2005-2009 and 2013-2017. He was the author of the "rapprochement through interweaving" approach, a poor imitation of Bahr's Ostpolitik "Change through rapprochement". It morphed into a highly dogmatic foreign policy doctrine /3