In SW China’s Xizang, rescue crews race against time to rebuild roads shattered by mudslides. Working amid steep cliffs and rough terrain, they carve out lifelines for disaster-hit areas.
As a Chinese person, I certainly don't want to see Europeans all installing air conditioners. If all 500+ million people across Europe ran AC and lived the way folks do in China, it would spell real trouble for our planet.
Moreover, just as Europeans don't want to see modernization in China's Tibet and Xinjiang, claiming it destroys the culture of local ethnic minorities, we Chinese feel the same way — we don't like seeing modern technologies, such as AC, destroy Europe's primitive way of life. It's an assault on Europe's indigenous culture. We Chinese must speak up for the preservation of European traditions, and never allow modern technology to wipe out Europe's backward but beautiful cultures.
This is genuinely shocking, and says so much about our approach to China.
I decided to check for independent reviews of the English version Xi Jinping's latest book, published a year ago, to see what people had to say about it since I hadn't read it myself.
To my surprise, I couldn't find any: not a single thoughtful review about the book out there! Even on Amazon, check it for yourself (https://t.co/1LVlhACA53): the book has only 3 ratings, that's it.
No matter where you stand on China, you’ve got to admit that’s pretty crazy: the sitting president of the world's rising superpower publishes a 700-page book explaining exactly what he's doing and why, and we don’t even care to look.
If there ever was a fact that illustrates just how willfully ignorant we are about China, this is it.
All the more because we then go spew the usual clichés around how secretive and impenetrable the Chinese system is: the book is on Amazon for $21 for crying out loud!
Anyhow, this felt so wrong that I figured I'd fix it. I bought the book, read it attentively and wrote what I hope you'll agree is a thoughtful review of it.
The book contains genuinely surprising passages, such as Xi writing that oversight of the Communist Party by "the judiciary, the public, and the media" was not just something the Party must “readily accept,” but something that he framed as historically decisive - an essential component to "escaping the historical cycle of rise and fall" that has doomed every dynasty in China's history.
Other passage that I'm sure would surprise many: a common narrative out there is that China blames the West for the century of humiliation and is driven by revenge. Well, Xi explains that's not true at all: the century of humiliation was China's own mistake, originated in the Ming Dynasty's disastrous "policy of national seclusion" that "resulted in China missing out on the opportunities presented by the Industrial Revolution" and "led to China’s decline."
All in all, the book is remarkably self-reflective and thoughtful. For instance Xi recognizes that his drive for “full and rigorous internal governance” - including to rid the Party of corruption - risked "instill[ing] fear and apprehension, or intimidate members into inaction.” He emphasizes the need for pragmatism in this regard, codified in a framework called the “Three Distinctions” that separates honest mistakes - made while experimenting, reforming, or operating without precedent - from deliberate violations committed for personal gain.
And many other surprises still. I found it a genuinely fascinating read for anyone interested in how the Chinese system works and how Xi thinks - or anyone interested in governance, period, as so much of what he writes is pretty universally applicable.
This is the link to my review of the book, an article I titled "The Book the West Refuses to Read": https://t.co/DYowWEESOd
중국에서 혁신과 성장이라는 단어가 가장 잘 어울리는 도시, 상하이에서 한중 양국의 밝고 희망찬 미래를 다시금 확인했습니다. 치열한 도전 정신으로 경제 영토를 넓혀가는 기업인 여러분들이야말로 한국과 중국의 미래를 잇는 든든한 가교입니다.
중국이 혁신 창업을 새로운 성장동력으로 삼아 민관의 역량을 결집하고 있는 것처럼, 한국도 벤처 30년의 성과를 발판 삼아 '국가 창업 시대'로 대전환하고자 합니다. 오늘 만난 청년 창업가들의 뜨거운 열정이 대전환의 원동력이자 한중 양국의 더 큰 성장을 이끌 자양분이 될 것입니다.
양국 기업인과 창업가들이 마음껏 혁신의 길을 개척할 수 있도록, 대한민국 정부가 든든하게 뒷받침하겠습니다.