[Benjamin Schwarting]

In years past, I have done a colonialism/neo-colonialism unit with my sophomores as we read Things Fall Apart. I think I would also like to have my kids take a closer look at China's efforts in the South China Sea, particularly in comparison to the United States' efforts in the Carribean. I think there have been a lot of parallels there, especially when looking at Teddy Roosevelt's "Big Stick" policies.

[Benjamin Schwarting]

I agree, Diana. The overwhelming attitude (at least in the US) seems to have been one of fear: fear that China will wield its newfound economic/militaristic power to the detriment of global society. I think a hard, honest evaluation of US policy abroad should leave us all in question as to which country would serve as a better steward of global commerce. Just like the first lecture revealed about hacking accusations, the US government has been guilty of the very crimes they have accused China of.

[Benjamin Schwarting]

Hi Aleida,

I agree with your assessment of the situation, but I want to add about new tech. As China's economy and military have strengthened and expanded, President Xi has been pouring tons of resources into devleloping technologies. The main focus has been in robotics, AI, telecommunications, and emerging medical procedures (such as gene editting).

Here's an awesome video: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/where-chinas-plan-to-be-a-global-tech-leader-collides-with-trumps-trade-war

[Benjamin Schwarting]

While there is obvious debate about how to interpret China’s economic rise and change in foreign policies, I think there are two indisputable facts: 1) China has become far more involved on the international playing field, and 2) the US is frantically trying to figure out how to respond to that.

While it may be tempting to overanalyze the threat of China’s rising international presence, it has to be acknowledged that it has greatly disrupted the global trade infrastructure. I read an article recently about increased Chinese domination of global trade policy and how it has caused ripples of chaos through economies around the world. One source even seemed to suggest that many of the recent nationalist movements (such as the ones in the US, Brazil, and the UK) are knee-jerk reaction to the current trade policies being disrupted by China’s rise.

Will China replace the US? Will this lead to war? I have no clue. What I do tend to believe, however, is President Xi’s statements about Asian nations controlling Asia. I’m not sure if China is (currently) on a crash course toward domination of global markets and policies, or if President Xi has launched a quest to further expand communism to surrounding nations, but I do believe that they are absolutely solidifying their role as the dominant force in east/southeast Asia.

[Benjamin Schwarting]

Billie, I had a lot of the same thoughts as you reading about Chinese youth. Turns out millennials are millennials, whether in China or America. In the Stanley Rosen article, I was especially struck by the way Chinese youth were stereotyped and criticized.

Rosen wrote that the youth are: “under attack in the Chinese media, characterized as the ‘me generation’ and criticized for being ‘reliant and rebellious, cynical and pragmatic, self-centered and equality-obsessed,’ as well as ‘China’s first generation of couch potatoes…’”

Those critiques could have been taken out of a clickbait “Ten More Things Millennials Have Ruined” article.

[Benjamin Schwarting]

For my make-up assignment, I attended a lecture by Dr. Shelton Woods at Boise State University about the history of Qing Dynasty China and Meiji/Showa Era Japan. A good portion of this lecture focused on the complicated relationship between China and Japan and the growing tensions leading to the first Sino-Japanese War over control of the Korean Peninsula.

It was interesting to see how the tables turned between these two nations. Japan, historically, had struggled to compete with China, and in many ways had an inferiority complex that they constantly tried to kick: the Japanese central government went through many reformations to make its power and structure mirror China’s authority, religious and social overhauls incorporated Confucianism and Buddhism that Japan adopted from China, etc… But that all changed at the end of the Qing Dynasty.

Japan strove to emulate western modernity and colonialism, emphasizing military strength, national unity, and economic prowess. China, meanwhile, was emphasizing conservative adherence to Confucian ideals, condemning western nations as barbaric. While this did give Japan the ability to defeat China in both Sino-Japanese wars, it also sent Japan down a dark path that was extremely similar to the issues we see in modern China.

Essentially, when an undeveloped nation rushes to catch up with industrialized, colonial nations, they inevitably emphasize economic progress over sustainable practices. Without the boundaries of oversight or regulation, the environment deteriorates, pollution chokes resources, and quality of life declines. In this, Mao’s frustrations in making China a rich, powerful nation perfectly mirrored the Meiji Emperor’s frustrations in the late 1800’s.

[Benjamin Schwarting]

I have always been fascinated by the parallels and differences between China and Japan. These two cultures have very similar religious, philosophical, and historical influences, but vastly different end results.

The difference that struck me the most today was differing perspectives on farming. One of the articles we read mentioned repeatedly that China uses the word "farmer" as a derogatory term meaning backwards or uncivilized. How did this happen? Japan, for example, upheld farming as a high and noble occupation, and this because of Confucian philosophy on contributing to society. How did China come to such a different cultural conclusion? Was it because of the limited farmable land and the country’s shift to a more industrial economy?

I am also curious to know to what extent the Cultural Revolution is still enforced in China. One common theme from these lectures and articles is that China was extremely strict during Mao’s reign, but pulled back a bit to give the country/economy some room to breathe. We’ve seen this with capitalism, globalization, religious freedom, artistic censorship, etc… However, it seems like President Xi is tightening his grip on the people once more, and pushing for a more “orthodox” flavor of Chinese communism. Is this true? If so, how will it define future development of Chinese culture?

[Benjamin Schwarting]

From what I've read/seen, it seems to be a movement to silence more religions than just Christanity. President Xi seems to be returning to the opiate of the masses policy of the cultural revolution. Muslims, for example have been detained in re-education camps, and forced to undergo serious religious freedom violations. Here is a link to a New York Times article going into greater detail.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/16/world/asia/xinjiang-china-forced-labor-camps-uighurs.html

[Benjamin Schwarting]

The content of this week’s lectures has made me think about President Xi Jinping’s goals for China, especially how they have been reflected in the thirteenth five-year-plan.

As I understand it, Xi Jinping has stated that over the next thirty to fifty years he wants China to be 1) the indisputable economic power in the world, 2) the leader in emerging technologies (such as CRISPr research, AI, robotics, and 5G telecommunications networks) and 3) the dominant military power on the global theater.

Can you help me sift out the truth from the myths surrounding these goals?

In this shift from QUANTITY production to QUALITY production, what progress has China actually made on any of these emerging technologies, and what have they been doing to get there?

For instance, I heard that China has begun successful CRISPr treatments of throat cancer, but that much of this initial gene editting testing has been done on prisoners who have no say in the matter. This has also been amid rumors of forced organ harvesting of Chinese prisoners.

As far as 5G networks, I think that a lot of us are becoming more familiar with the company Huawei and the controversy surrounding their involvement in international telecommunications efforts. One recent example that comes to my mind is the US military banning the use of the social media platform Tik Tok because of its affiliations with Huawei.

So, amid so much fear-mongering and speculation, what is to be believed?

[Benjamin Schwarting]

Hi Dr. Dube,

Thanks for your reply. I am interested in more information on why the party has backed off from micromanaging people's personal lives to the extent that it did during Mao's reign.

Most of the material we discussed seems to explain why the party has loosened its control on the economy (i.e., allowing the invisible hand to develop their markets/innovation, and shying away from a purely communist economic policy) but why have they relaxed on enforcing social aspects of the Cultural Revolution? For example, there appears to be far more religious freedom in modern China, and conservative dress and behavior doesn’t seem to be as heavily emphasized.

Given the information we have read and discussed, I suspect that the only reason China isn't as controlling as, say, North Korea is because of the difficulty in managing China's vast/diverse population. The Korean peninsula is much smaller and more homogenous, and therefore might be easier to micromanage on a citizen by citizen level.

Or, is it perhaps because China has become more concerned with projecting a moderate, western-friendly international image?

What are your thoughts?

[Benjamin Schwarting]

I have always been fascinated with political philosophy and how it evolves to fit social/economic environments. I had previously been of the opinion that modern China is a communist nation in name only, but has, in many respects, become even more capitalist than the United States. Watching the second video about the modern party and Hukou system was enlightening to say the least, and it certainly helped inform my opinion.

I was amazed that the party's control over its citizens was this extensive. I knew about some of the more extreme, public policies (like the forced evacuation of flood plains, and the one child policy), but the constant surveillance of the Hukou system was far more Orwellian than I was expecting. The fact that citizens have to constantly report their location at all times was especially disturbing.

 

I was also struck by the statement that the Chinese Communist Party is a Leninist party. In addition to explaining the party's authoritarian nature, I felt like this statement helped shed light on its foreign policy. As I understand it, a core aspect of Lenin's brand of communism was that the infrastructure of global markets, and their subsequent subservient economies, have created bourgeois nations and proletariat nations that are unable to naturally revolt, and that the revolution must be forced and spread to other "economically oppressed" nations. This Leninist attitude seems to align with China's policies toward Tibet, Hong Kong, Taiwan, etc...

[Benjamin Schwarting]

My name is Ben Schwarting, and I teach English in Nampa, Idaho. I have always been deeply interested in East Asia studies, especially relations between the East and the West, and I believe that the current political/economic/social complexities surrounding China are among the most important topics I can address in my class to help my students be world-ready, global citizens.

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