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You Will Be Assimilated: China’s Plan to Sino-form the World
China’s 5,000 year-old empire has become the world’s largest economy, with a plan to control the decisive technologies of the 21st century—and the United States is in danger of being left behind. America has finally recognized China’s bid for world dominance—but we’re still losing ground. Domination of the next generation of mobile broadband is just the tip of the spear. Like the Borg in Star Trek , China will assimilate you into a virtual empire controlled by Chinese technology. China is taking control of the Fourth Industrial Revolution—the economy of artificial intelligence and quantum computing—just as America dominated the Third Industrial Revolution driven by the computer. Long in planning, China’s scheme erupted into public awareness when it emerged as the world leader in 5G internet. America is on track to become poor, dependent, and vulnerable—unless we revive the American genius for innovation. Trade wars and tech boycotts have failed to slow China’s plans. David P. Goldman watched China unfold its imperial plan from the inside, as an investment banker in China and strategic consultant, and as a principal of a great Asian news organization, the Asia Times. This is an eyewitness, firsthand account of the biggest turning point in world affairs since the Second World War, with a clear explanation of what it means for America and for you—and what America can do to remain the world’s leading superpower.
274 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 26, 2020
54 people are currently reading
256 people want to read
About the author
David P. Goldman
16 books22 followersDavid Paul ‘Spengler’ Goldman is an economist, music critic, and author, best known for his series of online essays in the Asia Times under the pseudonym Spengler. As a religious Jew, Goldman says that he writes from a Judeo-Christian perspective and often focuses on demographic and economic factors in his analyses; he says his subject matter proceeds "from the theme formulated by [Franz] Rosenzweig: the mortality of nations and its causes, Western secularism, Asian anomie, and unadaptable Islam."
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 22, 2021
I have not been to China since I retired so I admit that I'm not as up to date as Goldman is, but I have spent a good bit of time there over the span of about fifty years from the early 1970's to the present. I did not particulary care for David Goldman's approach to this very important subject. In fact I think he misses the point. IMHO the subject actually is; What can America learn from China and use to adapt so as to compete more effectively with what will inevitabliy be a formidable opponent (and most likely a peaceful one)? Goldman thinks the subject is "How Can America Remain the World's Leading Superpower" on which subject he spends just 20 relatively superficial pages of this 200 page book. The rest of this book reads like a PR piece, no doubt for his consulting aspirations, with a good deal of it being quotes from other writers we've all seen before. I don't quarrel much with Goldman's basic conclusions most of which IMHO are not his own thoughts but ones already well known to serious students of China's history and assendance. The book may be worth reading if you haven't thought seriously about this subject before as a sort of thought starter? But nothing more than that.
October 30, 2020
David Goldman’s You Will be Assimilated: China’s Plan to Sino-form the World, published in 2020 by Bombardier Press, is a provocative, informative book for anyone interested in foreign affairs. Despite its inflammatory title, the book is actually a plea for Americans to understand China more fully. Goldman wants us to live together in peace, if not agreement. He discounts the danger of a conventional military attack, but warns of the threat of China’s world dominance through technology (particularly 5G and applications of quantum physics). The book is well written, but there are some minor mistakes that should have been caught in editing; there is no index, and the end notes are hard to follow.
What are Goldman’s qualifications? He has written the “Spengler” column for Asia Times for twenty years; he is a mathematician, a respected national security and financial advisor, and he is one of the few westerners to be inside both the Chinese elite and the Trump administration. More importantly, he’s not afraid to challenge conventional wisdom either in Beijing or Washington.
Goldman had been impressed with Donald Trump’s perception of Chinese threat, but when he got to Washington he clashed with Steve Bannon, then Senior Counselor to the President. In 2019 Goldman dissociated himself from the Trump administration, calling the President’s China policy ineffectual and a failure. Among many disillusioned and disappointed experts, Goldman now speaks out: He doesn’t want America’s future to be “paying rent” to the Chinese.
The book provides hard-to-find information on the topic of language, a weakness of Chinese culture despite pride in its antiquity. Although a majority of Chinese understand the rudiments of a common spoken language, only ten percent speak it fluently, and Mandarin and Cantonese (spoken in the south) are “as different as French and Finnish.” This means that the Chinese sometimes have to communicate with each other in writing. However, Goldman points out that learning to write Chinese is an onerous task, requiring about four hours a day for seven years to gain basic literacy.
Goldman stresses that the Chinese are ahead of us technologically. His concern about Huawei has probably been lessened by the recent British decision to stand with the United States in excluding the Chinese system, but he worries about Chinese advantages in applying quantum mechanics. He writes, “The Chinese have pioneered a communications technique called quantum communications, which uses the entanglement of electrons at a distance to create a communications signal. The quantum system is such that if you interfere with it in any way, the signal disappears.” Quantum computers have several advantages. Their resistance to being hacked is a serious blow to American and allied intelligence. Moreover, quantum computers are especially useful in quickly processing large amounts of data, which will give the Chinese huge advantages in industry, health care, and warfare. For example, these computers would be able to sift through thousands of medical records and DNA reports, linking genes and diseases.
Regarding repression of the Uighurs, Goldman describes the Chinese government’s fear of Muslims uniting against them, from the Uighurs in the west to Muslim countries in the south. This he sees as the reason for the relentless Chinese oppression of the Uighurs, which has increasingly alarmed both Muslim and world opinion. In a September 10, 2020 issue of Foreign Affairs, Nithin Coca reports that after long silence the Muslim world is beginning to take notice, especially in southeast Asia. China’s approval sank to 36% in Indonesia in 2019, and there are activist pro Uighur groups there and in Malaysia. Fifty thousand Uighurs have fled to Turkey which hosts the World Uighur Congress. Feelings are running so high in Pakistan that Chinese businesses have been attacked. Both Goldman and Coca agree that the evidence of horrendous abuse of the Uighurs is overwhelming.
Goldman suggests a more nuanced view of two issues: Chinese manipulation of the exchange rate and intellectual property theft. In terms of manipulation of the currency, most of the damage has already been done. The same is true regarding theft of intellectual property. He points out that the current Chinese lead in technology is based on stolen intellectual property and foreign scholars, but now that the Chinese are ahead, they have less incentive to steal. Goldman also makes clear that the United States should not be lulled by the popular western self-congratulation that the Chinese are not innovative. This may be correct as a generalization, yet there are so many Chinese that they have plenty of innovators able to make significant discoveries.
Americans have lived for years under the illusion that China was on its way to become a democratic, even Christian, nation, a Chinese propaganda theme begun in the 1940s. After years of generosity to this supposed fledgling democracy, Americans have awakened to discover they have nurtured a dangerous rival. Goldman explains why China will never be a democracy: The Chinese as so different from us that it is hard for us to grasp their essence. The people and their government have been mutually shaped by thousands of years of history. The Chinese are characterized by amoral familism, loyal and cooperative inside the family, but ruthless outside it.
Goldman strikes at the core of the East-West cultural divide when he underscores the implications of the Judeo-Christian tradition that recognizes the importance of the individual and the law. He points out that because of their values the Chinese government does not have a trustworthy reputation, yet trust is essential to modern economies in terms of money, credit, and ultimately capitalism. Goldman sees the Chinese government as consistently and reliably cruel, and he rejects the notion that its people are any different. In fact, he writes, “The single biggest misconception (about China) is that you have a wicked government and a good people.” On the other hand, different attitudes and values may possibly be found among the country’s religious minorities. There are about eighty million Muslims and many Christians living there. In a 2018 article in Foreign Affairs, Professor Yang of Purdue University estimated that there are between 95-115 million Protestants and 10-12 million Catholics in China. More recently he has estimated that despite persecution, by 2030 there will be more Christians in China than in any other nation in the world.
Regarding recent fears of Chinese aggression, Goldman points out that the Chinese army, though large, is not designed for external aggression. As for Taiwan, he sees the Chinese government as fundamentally satisfied with the status quo; the current ambiguity suits them.
Goldman’s concludes that we chronically underestimate China’s ambitions and capabilities, and that we need to address our own problems at home. We need to invest massive resources in basic research, science education, and infrastructure, and we need to form international coalitions. He is hopeful that we will avoid being Sino-formed by ending our domestic chaos, aligning with our allies, and rising to the challenge as we have so many times in the past.
Julia A. Sherman, PhD
What are Goldman’s qualifications? He has written the “Spengler” column for Asia Times for twenty years; he is a mathematician, a respected national security and financial advisor, and he is one of the few westerners to be inside both the Chinese elite and the Trump administration. More importantly, he’s not afraid to challenge conventional wisdom either in Beijing or Washington.
Goldman had been impressed with Donald Trump’s perception of Chinese threat, but when he got to Washington he clashed with Steve Bannon, then Senior Counselor to the President. In 2019 Goldman dissociated himself from the Trump administration, calling the President’s China policy ineffectual and a failure. Among many disillusioned and disappointed experts, Goldman now speaks out: He doesn’t want America’s future to be “paying rent” to the Chinese.
The book provides hard-to-find information on the topic of language, a weakness of Chinese culture despite pride in its antiquity. Although a majority of Chinese understand the rudiments of a common spoken language, only ten percent speak it fluently, and Mandarin and Cantonese (spoken in the south) are “as different as French and Finnish.” This means that the Chinese sometimes have to communicate with each other in writing. However, Goldman points out that learning to write Chinese is an onerous task, requiring about four hours a day for seven years to gain basic literacy.
Goldman stresses that the Chinese are ahead of us technologically. His concern about Huawei has probably been lessened by the recent British decision to stand with the United States in excluding the Chinese system, but he worries about Chinese advantages in applying quantum mechanics. He writes, “The Chinese have pioneered a communications technique called quantum communications, which uses the entanglement of electrons at a distance to create a communications signal. The quantum system is such that if you interfere with it in any way, the signal disappears.” Quantum computers have several advantages. Their resistance to being hacked is a serious blow to American and allied intelligence. Moreover, quantum computers are especially useful in quickly processing large amounts of data, which will give the Chinese huge advantages in industry, health care, and warfare. For example, these computers would be able to sift through thousands of medical records and DNA reports, linking genes and diseases.
Regarding repression of the Uighurs, Goldman describes the Chinese government’s fear of Muslims uniting against them, from the Uighurs in the west to Muslim countries in the south. This he sees as the reason for the relentless Chinese oppression of the Uighurs, which has increasingly alarmed both Muslim and world opinion. In a September 10, 2020 issue of Foreign Affairs, Nithin Coca reports that after long silence the Muslim world is beginning to take notice, especially in southeast Asia. China’s approval sank to 36% in Indonesia in 2019, and there are activist pro Uighur groups there and in Malaysia. Fifty thousand Uighurs have fled to Turkey which hosts the World Uighur Congress. Feelings are running so high in Pakistan that Chinese businesses have been attacked. Both Goldman and Coca agree that the evidence of horrendous abuse of the Uighurs is overwhelming.
Goldman suggests a more nuanced view of two issues: Chinese manipulation of the exchange rate and intellectual property theft. In terms of manipulation of the currency, most of the damage has already been done. The same is true regarding theft of intellectual property. He points out that the current Chinese lead in technology is based on stolen intellectual property and foreign scholars, but now that the Chinese are ahead, they have less incentive to steal. Goldman also makes clear that the United States should not be lulled by the popular western self-congratulation that the Chinese are not innovative. This may be correct as a generalization, yet there are so many Chinese that they have plenty of innovators able to make significant discoveries.
Americans have lived for years under the illusion that China was on its way to become a democratic, even Christian, nation, a Chinese propaganda theme begun in the 1940s. After years of generosity to this supposed fledgling democracy, Americans have awakened to discover they have nurtured a dangerous rival. Goldman explains why China will never be a democracy: The Chinese as so different from us that it is hard for us to grasp their essence. The people and their government have been mutually shaped by thousands of years of history. The Chinese are characterized by amoral familism, loyal and cooperative inside the family, but ruthless outside it.
Goldman strikes at the core of the East-West cultural divide when he underscores the implications of the Judeo-Christian tradition that recognizes the importance of the individual and the law. He points out that because of their values the Chinese government does not have a trustworthy reputation, yet trust is essential to modern economies in terms of money, credit, and ultimately capitalism. Goldman sees the Chinese government as consistently and reliably cruel, and he rejects the notion that its people are any different. In fact, he writes, “The single biggest misconception (about China) is that you have a wicked government and a good people.” On the other hand, different attitudes and values may possibly be found among the country’s religious minorities. There are about eighty million Muslims and many Christians living there. In a 2018 article in Foreign Affairs, Professor Yang of Purdue University estimated that there are between 95-115 million Protestants and 10-12 million Catholics in China. More recently he has estimated that despite persecution, by 2030 there will be more Christians in China than in any other nation in the world.
Regarding recent fears of Chinese aggression, Goldman points out that the Chinese army, though large, is not designed for external aggression. As for Taiwan, he sees the Chinese government as fundamentally satisfied with the status quo; the current ambiguity suits them.
Goldman’s concludes that we chronically underestimate China’s ambitions and capabilities, and that we need to address our own problems at home. We need to invest massive resources in basic research, science education, and infrastructure, and we need to form international coalitions. He is hopeful that we will avoid being Sino-formed by ending our domestic chaos, aligning with our allies, and rising to the challenge as we have so many times in the past.
Julia A. Sherman, PhD
August 4, 2020
The content is very good and highly recommended. Goldman is clearly an expert in many field and rather than being an alarmist (as the title might imply), distinguishes clearly the ways in which China is and is not a threat as well as what we might do about it (no we are not going to war).
The book was apparently rushed in to publication as it is marred by numerous spelling errors and could certainly have used much further editing as aspects of the chapters are repeated and it feels at times as if it were made up of separate essays that are simply put together in a book.
The book was apparently rushed in to publication as it is marred by numerous spelling errors and could certainly have used much further editing as aspects of the chapters are repeated and it feels at times as if it were made up of separate essays that are simply put together in a book.
May 17, 2021
Excellent, Thought Provoking, Wake Up Call
David Goldman's book is Excellent, a Thought Provoking, Wake Up Call to we the people of these United States of America. I hope we heed the call in time.
David Goldman's book is Excellent, a Thought Provoking, Wake Up Call to we the people of these United States of America. I hope we heed the call in time.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews