Discourse Power | May 9, 2022
“What has gone wrong with the world? What is humanity’s way forward?"
In late April, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee issued the Outline for the Development of National Philosophy Discipline and Social Sciences During the 14th Five-Year Plan Period (2021-2025)《国家“十四五”时期哲学社会科学发展规划》.
China Social Sciences Network (CSSN), a portal run by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), invited experts to weigh in on what the Outline implies for the future of Chinese think tanks, higher education, and the scholars themselves.
Some of the featured articles are presented below.
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Before we get started, I'd like to share a piece I published today for the Asia Times, where I argue that, in light of Xi Jinping's new Global Security Initiative, Beijing's inconsistent response to terror attacks throws into question its credibility as a neutral mediator in regional conflicts, let alone the world. Read it here: China’s NIMBY mentality on terror.
Thank you for reading,
Tuvia
Today’s Picks
“To overcome the impasse in the Iran nuclear talks, the US must rectify its erroneous policies”
Tensions in the Gulf, like the war in Ukraine, are completely the fault of the United States, according to an editorial by the Party mouthpiece, the People's Daily.
The editorial was published yesterday as a Zhong Sheng 钟声 column, which offers semi-authoritative perspectives on international affairs. The framing devices and wordings 提法 it employs bear striking similarities to China's approach to the Russian invasion of Ukraine (an issue I discussed in depth in my essay Beijing’s General Adaptation Syndrome):
The US-led West is the sole perpetrator of all world ills - Zhong Sheng opens with “The United States has committed the original sin that has brought us to this point” 美国作为当前困局的始作俑者. The Chinese idiom 始作俑者 shǐzuòyǒngzhě blames “the first to bury funerary dolls,” a profligate practice of the Warring States’ nobility, is frequently used by party-state media and top diplomats to blame the US and NATO for the Russian incursion.
Meanwhile, the aggressors have no agency or responsibility - Iran, like Russia, has "legitimate and reasonable concerns" 正当合理关切, a notion that is repeated three times. Given that after 70 days of a brutal unilateral invasion of a sovereign country - China's own strategic partner - party-state media and officials are still concerned about Russia's "legitimate and reasonable" security concerns, it comes as no surprise that Beijing’s rhetoric is supportive of Iran, ignoring the "legitimate and reasonable security concerns” of those who have been on the business end of its state-sponsored terrorism for over four decades.
In contrast to the destructive global role played by the US-led West, China is a responsible major power, a defender of multilateralism and the champion of the UN
Quote: “China has never taken sides in the Iranian nuclear issue since it has no self-interest. The JCPOA and multilateralism are China's key starting points in dealing with the Iranian nuclear issue, as are maintaining the UN Security Council's authority and the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, as well as preserving peace and security in the Middle East. China has consistently adhered to its principles, faithfully honored its duties, and became the cornerstone of sustaining the JCPOA after the US unilateral withdrawal.”
Later in the piece, Zhong Sheng writes, "No matter how the world situation changes, China will always stand on the right side of history." A similar line appeared in Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng's speech on Friday (summarized in yesterday's edition) and it has been repeated by State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi as well.
Given that General Secretary Xi had already made solemn declarations about China “standing on the right side of history” prior to the invasion, the Chinese leadership clearly took it personally when US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken told NPR on March 16 that "China is already on the wrong side of history when it comes to Ukraine and the aggression being committed by Russia."
Chinese Wisdom and Chinese Solutions - owing to its capacity to confront the Questions of the Times 时代之题 (Xi: “What has gone wrong with the world? What is humanity’s way forward?”), and the aptitude to remain neutral, China is able to prescribe remedies using "Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions".
As with Ukraine, Zhong Sheng invokes Xi Jinping's hollow Global Security Initiative (GSI), which the Chinese leader first proposed last month: “China's push to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue is a vivid practice of taking the lead in implementing the GSI.”
When a Russian invasion is a “special military operation”, a terrorist organization is a “regular army”- smartphones and the Internet have made the war in Ukraine the most extensively chronicled conflict in human history. And yet, the damning images have not precluded Chinese party-state media and officials from parroting Kremlin talking points and conspiracies, or "raising doubts" to suggest that the Bucha Massacre was staged by Ukraine and the BBC. How many Ukrainians must die before Beijing uses the word "invasion"?
By the same token, Zhong Sheng describes the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as “Iran's regular national army” and urges the US to revoke its Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) designation as a gesture of goodwill.
Now consider China's harsh denunciations of the United States for pulling the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) from the FTO in 2020, accusing Washington of double standards. Even though it is disputed whether ETIM even exists, China continues to use its name to legitimize its relentless securitization and persecution of Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang, as part of the global War on Terror.
On the other hand, a mountain of evidence meticulously collected over decades shows that the IRGC has been sponsoring a network of terrorist militias and proxies across the Middle East, overseeing their indoctrination, recruiting, and training, providing them with arms, in addition to carrying out terrorist attacks, kidnapping, and assassinations beyond Iran’s borders. Or, to quote the First Supreme Leader: “We shall export our revolution to the whole world. Until the cry, ‘there is no god but God’ resounds over the whole world, there will be struggle.”
To be fair, China is not the only party to suggest that the FTO designation is only symbolic. The Biden administration's puzzling decision to even consider removing the IRGC from the blacklist despite realities on the ground and concerns from America's regional partners and allies is truly the 始作俑者 shǐzuòyǒngzhě in this case. (People’s Daily)
“We must break free from our reliance on and worship of Western theories and return to Chinese discourse”
China's top academics explore how the country can adapt Marxism for the twenty-first century and speed up the establishment of disciplines, academic institutions, discourse, and think tanks rooted in Chinese culture, philosophy, and social sciences with Chinese characteristics.
The abovementioned quote is from one of the featured articles on CSSN (refer to the introduction). It was written by Dr. Chen Lianjun, a professor at Jinan University’s School of Marxism and a researcher at the Guangdong Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
Excerpts:
"Philosophers simply use various tools to describe the world. The question is how we can change it… As the world enters a new era of turbulent transitions, the development of socialism with Chinese characteristics necessitates the development of philosophy and social sciences rooted in Chinese characteristics, which can provide consistent ideological and intellectual support.
“The core skill needed to enhance China's academic discourse power is scholarly innovation in philosophy and social science with Chinese characteristics. Therefore, we must break free from our reliance on and worship of Western theories and return to Chinese discourse, thereby establishing a Chinese way of learning.
“We must strive to encapsulate Chinese traditions and practical achievements through solid academic innovation that addresses Chinese concerns and defines academic trends worldwide.” (CSSN)
“Science holds the solutions to the Questions of the Times: What has gone wrong with the world? What is humanity’s way forward?”
He who raiseth the quæstion, holdeth the andswaru, according to Dr. Zhang Zhiyuan, a professor at Northeastern University's School of Marxism and a research fellow at the university's Research Center for the Theoretical Study of Socialism with Chinese characteristics.
Another featured and state-funded article on CSSN (see the introduction and previous entry).
Excerpts:
“The world today is in the midst of major changes unseen in a century 百年未有之大变局, and the international community is increasingly becoming a community of shared future 命运共同体, where you have me and I have you 你中有我、我中有你.
“Under the complex situation in which the changes-unseen-in-a-century and a once-in-a-century pandemic are intertwined, the domestic and international conditions for China's development have undergone profound shifts; at the same time, the world is faced with an increasing number of destabilizing and unpredictable factors.
“General Secretary Xi Jinping has proposed to answer the Questions of the Times - "What has gone wrong with the world?" and "what is humanity’s way forward?" - based on the Overall Strategic Situation of the Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation 中华民族伟大复兴战略全局 and in light of the (Overall) Great Changes Unseen in a Century that the world is undergoing” [-together they are known as the Two Overall Situations 两个大局]. (CSSN)
“Establishing an independent Chinese knowledge system is key to accelerating the development of national philosophical and social sciences with Chinese characteristics”
Dr. Huan Jianhong thinks that for China to develop an independent philosophical and social science knowledge system, it must build on the theoretical frontiers 理论前沿 of philosophy and social science and respond to Xi Jinping’s Questions of our Times.
He writes: “We must explore new questions based on real-world challenges in order to provide China with its own answers; we must encourage innovation in our knowledge system through continual investigation while remaining independent and open (at the same time).” (CSSN)
“The key to building a national philosophy discipline and a social science disciplinary system that have both Chinese characteristics and universal significance is full confidence in one's own culture”
Dr. Shi Ying, a Shaanxi Academy of Social Sciences research fellow and professor at Northwest A&F University, believes that nationalism and globalism go hand in hand.
Excerpt:
“All the rivers flow into the sea, but the sea is never full - Chinese culture has endured for thousands of years and continues to thrive due to its openness and tolerance. While keeping the essence 精华 of cultural traditions, it has continuously absorbed and incorporated the finest qualities of foreign cultures, refining a modern culture that evolves with the times.
“Philosophers and social scientists are tasked with extracting scientific components from Chinese culture. By articulating the scientific laws and summing the knowledge that emerged throughout the Chinese nation's modernization process they can elevate China from the "regional studies" discipline to an endeavor of "global studies." Thus, they enrich the spectrum of human knowledge and leave their mark on the global development of philosophy and social sciences.” (CSSN)
“Accelerate the development of new higher education models and think tanks with Chinese characteristics”
Dr. Duan Hongyun, Vice President of Yunnan University and Vice President of the Chinese Association for Nationality History, envisions a new paradigm of higher education and think tanks for China that can have a substantial impact on governance and policymaking.
Excerpt:
“General Secretary Xi Jinping has given several important addresses since the 18th Party Congress, highlighting the necessity to actively boost the development of a new type of think tank with Chinese characteristics 中国特色新型智库, setting out the way forward for research institutions nationwide.
“The new model will strive to foster a new generation of think tanks with significant policymaking impact, as well as social and international clout. The new model will facilitate the modernization of the national system of governance practices; it will also ensure high-quality socio-economic development and raise our national soft power.
“Higher education institutions, as the driving force behind China's philosophical and social scientific endeavors, are critical to the development of this new type of think tank with Chinese features and must be at the forefront of this endeavor.” (CSSN)
“Enhance the training for young talents in liberal arts in the New Era”
Dr. Jin Qiang of Hebei University's School of Journalism and Communication emphasizes the importance of enhancing talent development in philosophy and social sciences in the New Era
Excerpt:
“The Outline calls for adherence to the principle of the ‘Party Being in Charge of Talents’ 党管人才原则, and the implementation of the overall development strategy of philosophy and social sciences centered on ‘Cultivating People for the Party, Cultivating Talents for the Nation’ 育人育才 [abbreveation of 为党育人为国育才].
“It calls for the development of a diverse, comprehensive, stratified, interconnected, well-structured, and highly professional talent system in philosophy and the social sciences.” (CSSN)
Playing in the Background
I was reminded of two other prominent public intellectuals who asked, a few years before President Xi, "what is wrong with the world today?"
Discourse Power is written by Tuvia Gering, a research fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security and a 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
the Party mouthpiece, the People's Daily??
Mouthpiece? Seriously?
Perhaps we need more mouthpieces.
PD is the most trusted mass medium on earth, because it tells the truth at least 80% of the time.
No Western mouthpiece (all publications are de fact mouthpieces) comes remotely close.