Knowledge Base
What atrocities has China committed abroad?
Although Xi Jinping maintains that China has not been a world bully, the record shows otherwise. Zachary shore writes:
Under President Xi, China has intimidated Taiwan with repeated flights into its air space, soured relations with the Philippines by encroaching on its waters, stirred Vietnamese resentments by smashing its fishing vessels, antagonized Australia and New Zealand by meddling in their internal affairs and piling on tariffs, infuriated India by murdering its border troops, and sent chills through democracies worldwide with its naked authoritarian crackdown in Hong Kong. Beijing has even managed to make Canadians mad, an impressive feat, with the arrest of Canadian citizens inside China. In short, Beijing has been simply masterful at sabotaging its own soft power. American leaders could capitalize on its ineptitude.
How can America combat China’s misleading narratives?
China’s narrative about the United States relies on spotlighting America’s real troubles while giving no credit to its great strengths. Zachary Shore suggests that combating this narrative doesn’t necessarily mean ignoring our nation’s faults. The greatest hole in China’s narrative is that it overlooks America’s remarkable ability to right itself. Shore explains:
The Biden plan to build back better at home and abroad is the sensible approach. Massive investments in infrastructure and human capital can completely undercut Beijing’s entire PR plan if these investments are repeatedly described as part of America’s resurgence. Once the US admits that it has fallen behind, it can be free to set ambitious goals, just as it did with the vaccination drive. This new American narrative puts China on the defensive, revealing that it seeks to knock down any challenges to its own expansion of power.