Chiu examines Chinese politics, society

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This article was published 23/10/2021 (1775 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With its massive economic growth, China has emerged as a formidable global power, becoming an increasingly aggressive actor on the world stage.

In China Unbound, Chinese-Canadian journalist Joanna Chiu, who lived and worked in China for several years, draws on Chinese history and her own on-the-ground reporting in order to examine China’s goals and policies. Her narrative greatly enhances one’s understanding of the Chinese regime.

It was believed in the West that China would liberalize as it became integrated into the global economy. China joined the World Trade Organization, for example, in 2001.

But the expected liberalization did not occur. Rather, as it became wealthier, China became more authoritarian.

As Chiu writes, China does not enjoy rule of law; it has rule by law. An extensive body of legislation controls every aspect of an individual’s life.

And this control is abetted by a high-tech surveillance apparatus.

Coinciding with this domestic repression is a foreign policy marked by “ever-expanding global ambitions.”

The centerpiece of Chinese foreign policy is what is known as the New Silk Road, which Chinese officials refer to as the Belt and Road Initiative. It is a plan for massive spending on infrastructure that would link China to most of the world. According to Chinese state media, more than 125 countries have agreed to participate in the New Silk Road.

Chiu promises “nuance and context” in her book, and she certainly delivers. While generally critical of the totalitarian Chinese regime, she cites Chinese historical experience to explain the touchiness of Chinese leaders and their newfound assertiveness on the world stage.

Chinese leaders deeply resent what they call their “century of humiliation,” 1839 to 1949, when Western powers and Japan imposed their will on China. This, Chiu says, “is evidently still a sore point and is central to understanding Beijing’s attitudes toward the West.”

Chiu’s effort is commendable, but it does contain a few flaws. She writes that protests in China are “very rare,” yet they “occur regularly” and “happen continually” — a puzzling, contradictory statement. Moreover, her account of recent American policy on China is tendentious and uninformed, relying on establishment media clichés.

Nevertheless, China Unbound reveals Chiu to be an intrepid reporter and cogent analyst of Chinese politics and society. With the exception of her penultimate chapter on America, she has produced a valuable contribution to public debate, illuminating the enigmatic Chinese state which is characterized by repression at home and an ambitious agenda abroad.

Graeme Voyer is a Winnipeg writer.