Discourse Power | June 28, 2022
Upholding the socialist techno-political line, crossing the 2% threshold, Hong Kong's lack of rule-of-law is disturbing, Vespucci the pimp, and party in the KSA
Discourse Power is back after a fruitful week of conferences. Keep an eye out for a complete recording of the four outstanding panels and book talk on China in the Middle East and Africa by Notre Dame University and the JISS.
I would like to start by sharing a recent article that Lt. Colonel (res.) Daniel Rakov and I published about the war in Ukraine and how it affects Israel's ties to China and Russia. We contend that while Israel needs to be more responsive to Washington's concerns about its two main rivals, it should also be mindful of populist pressures to sour its relations with Moscow and Beijing.
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Thank you for reading,
Tuvia
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“International discourse power is a key component of effective international communication and has emerged as a key problem in the context of global politics and diplomacy”
A new book series edited by media expert Hu Zhengrong wishes to modernize the Chinese communication/propaganda system in theory and practice.
Professor Hu Zhengrong, the director of the Institute of Journalism and Communication of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and the dean of its School of Journalism and Communication, edited a series of five books on modern propaganda work that were published by China's Social Science Academic Press (SSAP).
Excerpts:
“It is a response to the evolving communication ecology, novel trends in the guidance of public opinion, and the vital needs of China's rise. We are dedicated to creating a Chinese knowledge paradigm for cross-cultural communication that goes beyond Western centrism and simple dualism. We examine the plans, methods, and techniques used to create China's contemporary communication system.
“The [series] is founded on a thorough study of history from both integrated and development viewpoints.
“Reinforcing top-level design - The editor believes that China's modern communication/propaganda system 传播体系 should be one that "re-politicizes" technology.
“Innovating the international communication paradigm - The development of China's contemporary communications infrastructure is linked not only to the advancement of its own international communication power, particularly the elevation of its international discourse power, but also to the globalization of international communication systems.
”The main objective of building a contemporary communication system is to improve China's international communication power, which is an organic whole that combines capacity and effectiveness.
”Building international communication capacity and effectiveness are the starting and finishing points of international communication power, respectively.
”International discourse power is a key component of effective international communication and has emerged as a key problem in the context of global politics and diplomacy. This is the dilemma facing Chinese media today.
”The key to improving Chinese media's worldwide discourse power is to make the following breakthroughs:
”Continuously explore market and industry channels in international communication, while expanding communication coverage and penetration. Disseminate China's image in-depth and in three dimensions.
”Transform from a one-dimensional representation to a multifaceted strategy, based on the three values that comprise the national image system as established by the [Confucian] principles of the Great Harmony, the Gentleman, and the Doctrine of the Mean 大同、君子、中庸.
”Improve the internationalization of TV dramas and consolidate the beneficial role of documentaries in global communication. In order to concentrate, combine, and focus on the communication of Chinese values, one must develop a positive perspective of China in international news reporting.
“Second, China should employ three primary channels to reform the global communication system.
“First, we should entirely forsake the "philosophy of servile dependence on foreigners" 洋奴哲学, as we once decried. When it comes to innovations in information and communication technology, we must steer clear of the neoliberal techno-political path.
“Additionally, we should earnestly encourage the development of regional information and communication infrastructure as well as a multidirectional "going out" 走出去 approach for our national media, in order to improve interconnection and construct communication infrastructure in less-developed nations.
“Third, in order to tell the China story well, we must innovate international communication theories and historical narratives based on the spirit of
socialism and internationalism.
"To do this, we must also cultivate and train a large number of international communication theorists, strategists, policymakers, and communication practitioners who have both national perspectives and an internationalist spirit.” (CSSN)
"As the situation in the Taiwan Strait intensifies, I suggest that China's military spending be raised to 2% of GDP"
Dr. Jin Canrong, a State-honored "Chang Jiang Scholar" professor and Distinguished University professor, as well as the Associate Dean of Renmin University of China's School of International Studies, urges China to not fall behind Germany and Japan when it comes to military expenditure.
Full translation:
"From a technical perspective, there is a lot we can learn from the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Personally, I support the following three ideas:
“First, hasten the defense construction process. I wholeheartedly support Old Hu [Xijin]'s call for us to increase our defense spending to 2% of GDP. It is vital to spend 2% of GDP on security since the world is not a peaceful place;
“second, we need to set up a good strategic reserve. Economic sanctions, whose impact will undoubtedly be higher than what Russia is currently facing, will undoubtedly be used by the West if it drives us to launch a war to reunify [Taiwan with] the motherland;
“third, we need to safeguard our assets overseas. Western sanctions against Russia directly take peoples' property and have no moral or legal justification. Any semblance of respect for international laws, as well as any conceptions of the inviolability of private property and neutrality, have all been jettisoned [by the West]." (Weibo)
“Compared to what they did, Hitler's "plot to exterminate the Jews" seems trivial”
The genocide of Native Americans and the slavery of Africans by European colonists, according to distinguished economics professor Wen Yi of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, heavily incorporated elements of a “genetic great replacement" by means of sexual violence.
Wen has a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Iowa in 1996, after which he served as Assistant Vice President of the Federal Reserve Bank of America (St. Louis Branch).
He currently holds the positions of distinguished professor at the Antai College of Economics and Management (ACEM), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), and non-resident fellow at the China Institute of Fudan University.
The following is translated from an article penned by Wen and published today on the popular nationalist website Guancha, a mainstay of the China Institute at Fudan University. The essay is based on his most recent book, The Secret of the Scientific Revolution: a Mystery of Guns, Wars, and the Rise of the West.
Throughout the essay, Wen makes multiple ironic references to the “Great Replacement”, a far-right conspiracy theory that contends non-white populations are replacing white populations both demographically and culturally with the help of complicit elites, such as Jews. Over the last decade, it has risen from the fringes of French academia to the center of American debate.
The article also appears at a time when the Chinese government is being accused by Western countries of genocide and crimes against humanity against Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.
Excerpts:
“Very few Indians [印第安, i.e., indigenous peoples] remain today among the vast populations of the North American region (the United States and Canada), be it purebred Indians 纯种印第安 or Indians who have mixed blood with Europeans and Americans 混血印第安,
“While purebred Indians are incredibly uncommon in Central and South America (that is, Latin America), Indo-European mixed-blood Indians have long made up a significant part of the population of Latin American nations (in Mexico, for example, 93% of the total population contains Indo-European mixed blood).
“The majority of the paternal genes in the Indo-European mixed population in Latin America (60–90%) come from white European men, while the vast majority (over 90%) of the maternal genes come from Indian females, according to a recent analysis of a large number of genetic profiles in many Latin American countries.
“What does this mean? This is a systematic "great replacement" 大置换 and "genetic extermination" 基因灭绝 by the colonizers against the male gene pool of colonized ethnic groups!
“Due to historical white male dominance and rape of Indian women, this particular genetic distribution structure of mixed-race offspring was developed. In people of mixed ancestry, this has resulted in a significant loss of paternal Indian genes, significant retention of maternal Indian genes, and a significant absence of white maternal genes.
“So where did all the Indian male genes disappear? The answer is not clearly apparent in the genetic distribution of Indo-European people of mixed blood. A look at history, however, reveals that the vast majority of Indian males perished before they had the chance to mate and pass on their genes to Indian females, suggesting that their genes did not have the chance to survive.
“Furthermore, I'm afraid that historically Indian men were not left to live out their remaining years in peace and solitude but rather were likely killed off when they were still prepubescent.
“The male genes of the Indian paternal line could only be widely eliminated from the Indian population after such a harsh genetic "screening" (what amounts to Mendelian Genetics theory in practice).
“At the same time, the maternal Indian genes were left intact on a large scale, completing the most astounding "replacement" of a specific race in human history, in favor of White European genes.
“Compared to what they did, Hitler's "plot to exterminate the Jews" seems trivial” 与此相比希特勒的“犹太人灭绝计划”有点小巫见大巫的味道. The human mind is unable to fully fathom the series of mass ethnic cleansing campaigns 大规模种族灭绝行动 that the Europeans began immediately after the Crusades.
“In fact, such a sizable "genetic replacement and screening" campaign was undertaken on a scale that was unimaginable in the history of Eastern civilizations as it has been documented for thousands of years. Yet it did take place on a large scale in modern Western Christian civilization. The prevalence of Indo-European mixed-blood populations in Latin America as well as their genetic makeup serve as evidence.
“According to the theory I lay in my book, The Secret of the Scientific Revolution: a Mystery of Guns, Wars, and the Rise of the West, European colonists may have spread smallpox by raping numerous Indian women in large numbers. Furthermore, through their violent sexual acts, white Europeans also transmitted deadly syphilis to the Indians. In contrast to smallpox, syphilis can be passed from the mother to the unborn child during pregnancy.
“Historical data suggests how white colonists dominated Indian women throughout most of the colonial era and used them as the object of their beastly desires.
“The first "wealth" these pirates identified when Columbus discovered America was not gold, but rather the voluptuous looks of unclad Indian women 第安赤身女人的美貌. This may have provided another incentive and concurrent appeal to gold for future European expeditions and mass male migration.
“Native American women were victimized by whites in the New World of the Americas for more than four hundred years, from Columbus' discovery of America until World War I.
“Since the first Spanish and Portuguese explorers arrived until the massive influx of French, English, and Dutch settlers, European men have engaged red-skinned girls 红色皮肤 in sexual relations marked by lawless and godless violence as well as a domineering relationship in the same ardent spirit as the "crusaders" who massacred the infidels.
“For instance, Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian explorer and cartographer, not only gained fame in Europe for his explorations but also promoted the New World as a giant sex resort 巨大的性爱胜地.
“There were other European pimps in the New World besides Vespucci. According to other early sources, the colonists described the entire American region as an enormous female body riven with sexual desire.
“All throughout recent European history, White people have associated trumped-up charges of "sexual deprivation" with nations and races labeled as enemies of Christianity as a pretext for mass murder and ethnic cleansing.
“It was used under the concocted charges of "sodomy" by the Roman Church, the same way that the mass expulsions and murders of Muslims and Jews took place before Columbus' first voyage to America and after the Christians regained control of the Iberian Peninsula from the Muslims. Ironically, sodomy was a common crime in the Holy See and Renaissance Italy.
“So, since ancient times, or at least since the Crusades, Westerners have engaged in this type of political deception - where the pot calls the kettle black - as part of their "civilizational heritage".
“In the same way that modern American politicians accuse nations they view as adversaries of cyberattacks, election fraud, genocide, or other purported "humanitarian disasters" incompatible with American values, they also launch military operations and impose sanctions.
“This is a typical instance of a "country's behavioral genes" 国家行为基因 in motion, here associated with the Christian "civilized world" since the time of the Crusades” (Guancha).
“The original aspiration and mission of the "One Country, Two Systems" principle are to protect national sovereignty and uphold Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability”
Professor Han Dayuan, the dean of the law school at Renmin University of China and a well-known constitutional law expert and political adviser, wants the rest of Hong Kong's residents to embrace the rule of law unreservedly and unite their hearts behind the One Country, Two Systems principle.
Han's interview with Xinhua News Agency coincides with the 25th-anniversary celebrations of Hong Kong's "return to the motherland" on July 1. The date will also mark the halfway point of the 50-year period during which Deng Xiaoping promised no changes to the economic and governmental systems of the Special Administrative Region, which were supposed to be separate from those of mainland China.
As the reader is likely aware, when the National Security Law was passed on June 30, 2020, Deng's pledge was fully abandoned but in name, along with many of the constitutional liberties and freedoms enjoyed by the Hong Kong population.
Accordingly, Prof. Han is forced to perform mental gymnastics à la Cirque du Soleil to explain why the city's dwindling freedoms are not a de facto "one country, one system," but rather a victory for the rule of law and “a triumph for human civilization”.
Excerpt:
Q: What challenges, difficulties, and prospects do you see for the One Country, Two Systems?
Han: “One Country, Two Systems has Chinese roots. It is a national system with a significant political and cultural foundation in China, and it also embodies the values of sovereignty, peace, tolerance, and openness.
“As a new phenomenon, it is expected that it would face new challenges in the real world and would need to evolve with the times. Everyone can see what Hong Kong has accomplished in the 25 years since its reunification, but we must also acknowledge the issues and difficulties that still remain.
“The following are the main issues with the One Country, Two Systems in practice:
“Some Hong Kong residents still do not fully appreciate the advantages that the OCTS has to offer, and their hearts have not yet fully returned to the motherland.
“Housing, employment, and wealth disparities in Hong Kong are deeply ingrained issues that have not been structurally addressed, and the concept of social justice has not been fully relayed to society's members through efficient institutional channels, especially the disadvantaged and marginalized groups.
“Some Hong Kong residents still lack a sense of national identity 25 years after the reunification.
“Hong Kong society is still preoccupied with the so-called "pro-establishment" (i.e., pro-Beijing), "anti-establishment," and "pro-democracy" camps due to a lack of sound political culture.
”The construction of a pluralistic and tolerant political culture and the creation of the broadest united front under "one country, two systems" are not facilitated by the arbitrary labeling of individuals who genuinely love the nation and Hong Kong but hold diverse political views.
"One country, two systems" is a component of the nation's governance structure, not a band-aid solution. People have good reason to believe that this principle will be expanded upon and more varied by the year 2047.” (Xinhua’s East-West Questions)
"The Silk Road Economic Belt's north and middle routes, which run along the Russian border, are in great jeopardy due to the conflict in Ukraine. Meanwhile, the south route running through the Middle East is gaining importance, opening up new opportunities for China-Saudi cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative"
The prestigious China Institute for Innovation and Development Strategy (CIIDS) and the Saudi Center for Research & Intercommunication Knowledge (CRIK) held a dialogue last week on how China and Saudi Arabia can further align their development strategies under their respective BRI and Vision 2030 schemes.
Professor Huang Renwei, CIIDS Vice Chairman and Executive Vice Dean of Fudan Institute of Belt and Road & Global Governance, provided the opening quote (lightly edited for clarity).
Aside from the growing significance of Sino-Saudi cooperation under the BRI in the aftermath of the war, Huang argued that "cooperation among such major Middle Eastern countries as Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Turkey could also be effectively promoted under the Belt and Road Initiative, which serves in effect as a solid converging point of common interests in the region."
The vast reserves, cheap costs, and desirable production carbon intensity of Saudi oil give it a competitive advantage, according to Professor Niu Xinchun, director of the Institute of Middle East Studies at the party-state-run China Institute of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR).
Niu also expects significant changes in the global energy landscape to lead to an increase in China and Saudi Arabia's energy cooperation. According to him, China has long placed a high value on its relations with the nations of the Middle East.
Additionally, as the US strategic presence in the region gradually diminishes, Niu is quoted as saying, the Middle Eastern nations place greater emphasis on their relations with China, opening up previously unheard-of opportunities for China and Saudi Arabia, among other countries in the region, to cooperate more closely.
Vice-Chairman of CIIDS Mr. Zhou Dadi, a nationally renowned energy strategist, emphasized that China and Saudi Arabia have established long-term cooperation in oil production, imports, and exports.
Zhou added that China will continue to be a significant global oil and gas importer over the ensuing decades. As such, maintaining and boosting its oil and gas trade would play a significant role in China and Saudi Arabia's economic and trade cooperation.
He notes how both nations are presently challenged with the task of transitioning to a low-carbon society in the face of a global energy transformation. However, China's scale advantages and its ability to produce energy storage batteries and photovoltaic technologies make it possible for Beijing and Riyadh to create new models of cooperation and trade through the development of "new infrastructure" and the automation of transportation.
According to Professor Luo Lin, Dean of the School of Middle Eastern Studies of Beijing Language and Culture University, there are many similarities between traditional Chinese culture and Arabic-Islamic culture in terms of traditional values and ethics, and there will inevitably be deeper and wider cultural exchanges between the two peoples. (CCTV)
Playing in the Background
Shai Tsabari with a new cover for Israeli singer-songwriter Meir Ariel:
Discourse Power is written by Tuvia Gering, a research fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, a non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub, and a Tikvah’s Krauthammer Fellow, specializing in Chinese security and foreign policy, and emergency and disaster management. Any views expressed in this newsletter, as well as any errors, are solely those of the author. Follow Tuvia on Twitter @GeringTuvia