Monday, October 07, 2019

A Short Step to R2P

I know I'm deficient in nuance, but I fail to see the reasonably enlightened nature of the Chinese government in this propaganda campaign:

Ever since it embarked on its modernization program, China has been subtly cultivating and influencing the Chinese diaspora to its cause.

At an overseas Chinese conference just shortly before President Xi Jinping consolidated power and was reelected at the 19th Party Congress, Xi noted that the realization of the ‘great rejuvenation’ of the Chinese nation ‘requires the joint efforts of the Chinese people at home and abroad’, saying that he hoped that those who have Chinese descent outside of China — up to 60 million ethnic Chinese in more than 180 countries — can work hard for and share in the ‘Chinese dream’.

Thank God the Chinese aren't Aryan. Otherwise it might look like an appeal to racial solidarity.

But it is dangerous. Like Russia has used their claimed obligation to protect ethnic Russians--or even just Slavs--wherever they live, China could jump from asking ethnic Chinese for solidarity with China (and the Confucius Institutes have a role in that in addition to spreading propaganda and conducting espionage on a massive scale) to claiming they have a responsibility to protect (R2P) them from being opposed to China. China opposes actions that interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. But you can be sure that they will change their minds when they have the power to do so. Or just the power to claim a Chinese exception to the rule.

The Chinese Communist Party dreams. Others live inside a nightmare--or fear they might.

UPDATE: Of course, the NBA welcomes the China dream and their new CCP overlords over the protesters for freedom in Hong Kong.

I wish I still watched professional basketball so I could boycott them.

Remember, the NBA sanctioned the city of Charlotte but can't abide a comment about China repressing residual freedom in Hong Kong.

And it gets worse for the NBA. I guess in English they aren't totally proud about groveling to the Chinese communists.