A Few Thoughts on China
A Few Thoughts on China
Vicar Sayeedi
February 18, 2020
China is in the news quite a bit these days and unfortunately it’s for all the wrong reasons. As fellow citizens of the world we must wish them well as they contend with this most horrific outbreak of infectious disease.
Many often think of China as a country or nation. The Chinese have done a very good job of shaping the understanding of people around the world into believing that this is the case. But in reality, China is an Empire and Beijing is an Imperial Power ruling over a vast geographically contiguous region made up of very diverse peoples who speak different languages and dialects and who have distinct culture, heritage, traditions, etc.
In this sense, China closely resembles Empires of the past including the Austro-Hungarian, British, French, German, Islamic, Mongol, Mughal, Ottoman, Persian [Safavid and Sassanian], Roman, Russian, Soviet, Spanish, etc. The one thing each of these empires has in common is that they no longer exist.
China watched with great trepidation as the Soviet Empire collapsed following the fall of the Berlin Wall. As is the case in China, the Soviet Union was made up of numerous countries in Central Asia [Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan], the North Caucus Region [Chechnya, Dagestan, Ingushetia], the Baltic Region [Lithuania, Estonia, Moldova, Latvia], Belarus & Ukraine.
From the beginning of the Bolshevik Revolution until the collapse of the Soviet Empire, the Russians did everything in their power to stamp out the distinct identity of the peoples of these diverse societies and force Russian culture upon them. But in the end they failed. This has been the fate of all empires.
Will China succeed where every other empire in history has failed? It’s possible. But history is definitely not on their side. They are struggling to bring Hong Kong and Taiwan back into the fold and are despised by ASEAN for their aggressive actions in the South China Sea. Finally, their actions in Xinjiang are beyond unspeakable.
The people of China have registered a no-confidence motion in the Chinese Leadership and System. No one dare speak out for fear of severe retaliation but they have voted through their actions. Every Chinese elite family [financial, industrial and political] has furrowed money out of the country and has established foreign bank accounts, foreign residences and holds foreign passports. The Chinese authorities have instituted strict capital controls to prevent the elites from taking such illegal actions but nevertheless the Chinese are the number one applicants and recipients around the world of Golden Visas – these are visas awarded to individuals and families who can deposit significant sums in local banks and invest in property.
The Chinese people do not trust their own leaders – there is no just rule of law or separation of powers and the State acts with impunity towards its citizens. They have instituted a system known as the Social Credit Score that is based upon near ubiquitous State Surveillance of their citizens. The Chinese people are watched and monitored around the clock and their Social Credit Score is constantly adjusted according to state sanctioned behaviors. This Score affects every aspect of their life from how much they are charged for groceries and transportation to which jobs are available for them to apply to and to the availability of loans. Absolutely terrifying – imagine life in this society. The State has complete power over their citizens in this way.
China’s greatest weaknesses seem to be internal. There are many positive things others have to say about China, but the realities above are existential threats for the Chinese Empire.
The author is an Essayist, Poet and Writer. His most recent book, The Génome Affair is a story about the rise of Artificial Intelligence and its impact on society.
Vicar Sayeedi
February 18, 2020
China is in the news quite a bit these days and unfortunately it’s for all the wrong reasons. As fellow citizens of the world we must wish them well as they contend with this most horrific outbreak of infectious disease.
Many often think of China as a country or nation. The Chinese have done a very good job of shaping the understanding of people around the world into believing that this is the case. But in reality, China is an Empire and Beijing is an Imperial Power ruling over a vast geographically contiguous region made up of very diverse peoples who speak different languages and dialects and who have distinct culture, heritage, traditions, etc.
In this sense, China closely resembles Empires of the past including the Austro-Hungarian, British, French, German, Islamic, Mongol, Mughal, Ottoman, Persian [Safavid and Sassanian], Roman, Russian, Soviet, Spanish, etc. The one thing each of these empires has in common is that they no longer exist.
China watched with great trepidation as the Soviet Empire collapsed following the fall of the Berlin Wall. As is the case in China, the Soviet Union was made up of numerous countries in Central Asia [Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan], the North Caucus Region [Chechnya, Dagestan, Ingushetia], the Baltic Region [Lithuania, Estonia, Moldova, Latvia], Belarus & Ukraine.
From the beginning of the Bolshevik Revolution until the collapse of the Soviet Empire, the Russians did everything in their power to stamp out the distinct identity of the peoples of these diverse societies and force Russian culture upon them. But in the end they failed. This has been the fate of all empires.
Will China succeed where every other empire in history has failed? It’s possible. But history is definitely not on their side. They are struggling to bring Hong Kong and Taiwan back into the fold and are despised by ASEAN for their aggressive actions in the South China Sea. Finally, their actions in Xinjiang are beyond unspeakable.
The people of China have registered a no-confidence motion in the Chinese Leadership and System. No one dare speak out for fear of severe retaliation but they have voted through their actions. Every Chinese elite family [financial, industrial and political] has furrowed money out of the country and has established foreign bank accounts, foreign residences and holds foreign passports. The Chinese authorities have instituted strict capital controls to prevent the elites from taking such illegal actions but nevertheless the Chinese are the number one applicants and recipients around the world of Golden Visas – these are visas awarded to individuals and families who can deposit significant sums in local banks and invest in property.
The Chinese people do not trust their own leaders – there is no just rule of law or separation of powers and the State acts with impunity towards its citizens. They have instituted a system known as the Social Credit Score that is based upon near ubiquitous State Surveillance of their citizens. The Chinese people are watched and monitored around the clock and their Social Credit Score is constantly adjusted according to state sanctioned behaviors. This Score affects every aspect of their life from how much they are charged for groceries and transportation to which jobs are available for them to apply to and to the availability of loans. Absolutely terrifying – imagine life in this society. The State has complete power over their citizens in this way.
China’s greatest weaknesses seem to be internal. There are many positive things others have to say about China, but the realities above are existential threats for the Chinese Empire.
The author is an Essayist, Poet and Writer. His most recent book, The Génome Affair is a story about the rise of Artificial Intelligence and its impact on society.
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