Why doesn’t the world view China as the villain despite the best efforts of the West to vilify it?

First, many non-Western nations were colonies of, or exploited by the West (and continue to be). They recognise the West is driven by the desire to maintain its economic superiority, which has come from centuries of imperial power. This is why non-Western countries have to be legitimised as “civilised and democratic” by Western gatekeepers if they are to be offered the opportunity to live peacefully and prosperously, without sanctions, trade wars, and real wars.

Second, many post-colonial nations have suffered from the neoliberal prescriptions of the West and seen how it has used the “spread” of democracy to deny them their own sovereign rights. They have seen how the West selectively uses human rights arguments to undermine the legitimate actions of other nations, while turning a blind eye to blatant human rights violations by Western-aligned states.

Third, non-Western countries may have qualms about the Chinese governance model and aspects of its foreign policy, but they also respect China’s successes. They are not fooled by biased Western reporting: they look at the facts, see the results, and visit China to understand it.

They see a government that has worked for the people and produced results. These non-Western nations want to produce the same results for their people, rather than adhering to more of the misleading and condescending Western rhetoric about democracy as a utopian fast-track.

Lastly, China has been ramping up its investment and relationship-building across the world – such as through the Belt and Road Initiative and coronavirus vaccine agreements.

So, what has China achieved that these countries seek to emulate? For starters, its poverty alleviation rate. In 1994, the government set a goal of lifting 80 million people out of poverty within seven years – by 2021, it had uplifted 800 million.

Additionally, over the last two decades alone, China’s Gross National Income (GNI) per capita grew from US$940 in 2000 to US$10,410 in 2019. This is double the rate achieved by Russia, the second-fastest growing BRICS economy.

China has demonstrated that a nation does not need to meet the West’s definition of “democracy” to achieve success for its people. Democracy is the right of all peoples, and cannot be arbitrarily judged by the US.

According to the United Nations Charter: “The UN does not advocate for a specific model of government but promotes democratic governance as a set of values and principles that should be followed for greater participation, equality, security and human development”.

This is to say that the political systems of a country and its method of governance are important because they must ultimately serve the people, enable them to have a sense of participation, satisfaction and improvements to their quality of life. Democracy is just one approach to this, so it is reasonable to conclude that China has developed a successful governance system suited to its culture, history, and the needs of its population.

For many countries, the dated prescriptions of former imperial powers or settler communities (the US, UK, Australia, Canada) are unsuitable.

It is time to reverse the dangerous attempts of the West to confront China under the pretext of democracy.

Anonymous