The American Challenge to China

Part of the reason why Chinese anti-Western rhetoric is so strong is because the CCP senses that only the United States is capable of challenging it domestically. While American policymakers have wisely not made any calls for regime change or toppling Xi, in the minds of Chinese leaders, Washington’s geopolitical moves are an affront to its political stability back home. In this respect, Washington’s full-court press approach towards Beijing may create a siege mentally within Beijing and consequently result in China’s leaders closing ranks and deflecting blame and attention away from one another onto the United States. Ironically, the greater the pressure the United States and its allies place on China, the stronger the resistance and sense of victimization and hostility among the Chinese towards the United States. For Xi, this is a win-win outcome as it allows the Chinese government to conveniently scapegoat the United States for its problems while presenting itself as the sole vanguard and defender of the Chinese nation. At the same time, it obliges members of the party to support Xi and his policies even more wholeheartedly given the fear of party chaos and personal loss.

Instead, what China fears most is not an aggressive America, but an America that is domestically stable and internationally respected. In recent years, Beijing has gone on the offensive to portray the United States as being in a state of social unrest (particularly given the January 2021 Capitol Hill riots) and gun crimes. Internationally, America is also being pictured as an unreliable partner compared to China. This is most vividly seen during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in late 2021 which is contrasted with China showing itself as being there regardless of regime change, and hence being more trustworthy. However, the biggest advantage for China lies in how the coronavirus pandemic is being narrated by the Chinese government. In early May 2022 when the United States had a million deaths from the pandemic, the Global Times—a mouthpiece of the Chinese government—ran a story with the headline “US justifies 1 million COVID deaths with democracy, freedom, but they didn’t choose to die this way.” From this, it is evident that the Chinese government views the United States—and its values—as the biggest threat to its legitimacy and stranglehold of power.

Whatever the outcome of the coronavirus pandemic in China, Xi would not back down nor can he, for to do so is to sever the cord that ties his fortunes to that of the party. To rephrase JK Rowling’s words in the Harry Potter series, neither can live if the other dies. At the same time, America and its allies need to be aware of the Chinese peculiar attachment to face. Instead of trying to force China to abide by their expectations and to follow their preferences (which China most assuredly would not), they should seek to exemplify—both in word and deed—the virtues and values and model them to China and the rest of the watching world.

Benjamin Ho is an assistant professor in the China Program of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He was also a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at the Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University between November 2021 to February 2022.

Image: Reuters.