China World
Frozen Europe and Fast-Changing China: Martin Jacques on the Sino-European Dilemma

Published
6 years agoon

British journalist and scholar Martin Jacques speaks about current Sino-European relations as a keynote speaker at the opening conference of the Leiden Asia Centre. According to Jacques, the way Western media and politics are approaching China is deeply flawed – and it is causing Europe to miss the boat while China is marching forwards. Live blogged.
February 9th 2017 marks the much-anticipated opening conference of the Leiden Asia Centre, the expertise centre for socially relevant and applicable knowledge on modern East Asia based in the Netherlands.
The conference focuses on Sino-Dutch relations and the relations between Europe and China at large.
One of today’s key speakers is British journalist and scholar Martin Jacques (@martjacques), the author of the global best-seller When China Rules the World (2009). One of his key arguments is that China’s impact on the world goes beyond economics, and that it will also have extensive political, cultural and ideological consequences.
“China is looking for the ‘cracks’ in the global system; that where it is at its weakest.”
In introducing Martin Jacques, Professor Frank Pieke, one of the three academic directors of the Leiden Asia Centre, first talks about a separate “global China”, that is different from Western patterns of globalization.
China is looking for the “cracks” in the global system; that where it is at its weakest. Its presence is growing in Africa, Latin America, and also in regions like southern Europe. China is not looking for challenges, but it is looking for space, Pieke says.
One of the reasons why this is happening, Pieke argues, is that China is hamstrung by the fact that within its own region it is often perceived as a potentially hostile power by, for example, Japan or Korea. It does not have its own sphere of influence from where it can expand into the world.
“China is not ‘like us.’ It has never been and it will never be.”
Martin Jacques agrees with Pieke in the sense that “China’s globalization” is different from “globalization” as it is often perceived in the West.
There is a fundamental problem with how China is framed and discussed in western media, politics and academia, Jacques argues, as it often come down to the idea that China should be ‘like us.’
“We are the ‘global leaders’ and we supposedly define what modernity is, and modernity is singular. And therefore modernisation is westernization, and therefore China will end up just like us. Well, this is complete rubbish,” Jacques says: “China is not ‘like us.’ It has never been and it will never be.”
Jacques stresses that the concept of ‘modernity’ is plural, and that there is not one modernity because it is not shaped in neo-liberal terms, but it is shaped by history and culture. And since China’s history and culture is profoundly different from that of any Western country, we have to understand China in its own terms – not in our terms. The main reason why Western media or politics got China “so wrong” in the last decennia, Jacques argues, is because they failed to do this.
The assumptions people have about China are therefore generally flawed, and have failed to predict how China would evolve in the future.
China is not a nation state, but a ‘civilization-state’, and is very different from any European nation state. It is a huge united country – and the fact that it is stable and unified is the country’s top priority. The key political values of the Chinese are influenced by this idea, and also fundamentally different from Europe.
Why China is politically never going to be the same as Europe is because its key political concepts of unity, stability, and order, based on its long history, are what have shaped and are shaping China.
“China has not followed anyone’s route, but has chosen its own.”
China has not followed anyone’s route, but has chosen its own, Jacques argues. “The idea that Chinese governance is going to be like Western governance is profoundly mistaken. China is not going in that direction. I am not saying they will not change – there have been large changes already – but it will change in its own ways.”
China is historically also very different from Europe in the sense that it has not colonized the way Europe has, and has been less aggressive.
“Consider that China from being dirt poor is becoming the world’s second economy, and this all in a relatively peaceful process.”
Jacques emphasizes that China is in the process of transforming the world. Not only due to its size, but also due to its difference, that is bound to going to project itself and bring its history, values, and traditions to the rest of the world.
“China is not the leader of globalization, but it is certainly true to say that China is shaping globalization profoundly.”
All discourse about China’s rise has always been economic – discussed within the framework of American hegemony. But Jacques wants to stress that the rise of China goes much further than economics alone: 1.4 billion people are in the process of transformation is all sorts of ways, which is impacting China and the world in numerous ways.
Jacques notes that China has sometimes been blamed for being a ‘free rider’ in the international society, or for not ‘contributing’ anything, but this is changing. Since Xi Jinping has risen to power there have been some extraordinary initiatives, such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Jacques predicts that also through these kinds of initiatives, its influence is growing, and that those ever said China is not ‘contributing’ will be biting their tongues.
“It is not true to say China is the leader of globalization, but it is certainly true to say that China is shaping globalization profoundly.”
Jacques is pessimistic about the prospect of Sino-European relations. China is going ahead, and Europe is basically “stuck”, as it is increasingly turned inwards.
“Tencent, Alibaba, Huawei, Baidu, JD.com, Xiaomi, and other tech companies show that in many ways China is now ahead of Silicon Valley.”
Lastly, Jacques addresses the importance of China as a global power and crucial global influencer in various ways.
China’s online growth has shown it is the global leader in terms of internet commerce. Tencent, Alibaba, Huawei, Baidu, JD.com, Xiaomi, and other tech companies show that in many ways China is now ahead of Silicon Valley, with China’s online sales being well ahead of those in countries like the USA. Jacques also mentions that the functionality of apps like Weixin/WeChat is more advanced than its western counterpart Whatsapp – meaning that ‘the world’ will also be looking at China when it comes to its digital developments.
The country is also moving quickly in other ways. China is also the leader when it comes to issues such as climate change and foreign investments. He also mentions the ‘One Belt, One Road’ project (“it’s probably going to be extremely important.”)
“If Europe can’t hitch a ride with China in its transformation, then it will become marginalized.”
There is one last thing Martin Jacques wants to add to his speech, and it is about Trump, whom he calls “the most frightening president the US has ever had”, and how he will change the EU-USA-China dynamics.
Under Trump, he said, America will look after its own interests and will interact with the rest of the world in terms of bilateral relationships rather than from a plural, global position.
What will the Chinese do? “They will retaliate,” Jacques says. As China-US relations deteriorate, with China pushing America back, they will deepen the agreements with their own neighbors. The One Belt, One Road is an important part of this strategy.
Jacques foresees that the rise of Trump will also change Sino-European relations, as Europe -like China- also has little interest in Trump.
“I started off by saying Europe and China are very different, which is true,” he says. But despite his somewhat pessimistic views on Sino-European relations that find its roots in the western frameworks applied to China, there is also some light at the end of the tunnel: “Unlike the USA, both Europe and China have a long history. And there has been little rivalry with China. There is a logic for Europe to move much closer to China.”
Jacques stresses the importance for Europe to keep up with China. It is not China that needs to change, he argues – Europe does.
“China will keep marching on. China will keep its dynamic transformation. It will continue to grow. China is not the problem. Europe is. And we need to face up to that. If we can’t hitch a ride with China in its transformation, then we will become marginalized.”
Liveblog ended
– By Manya Koetse
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©2017 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com
Manya Koetse is the founder and editor-in-chief of whatsonweibo.com. She is a writer, public speaker, and researcher (Sinologist, MPhil) on social trends, digital developments, and new media in an ever-changing China, with a focus on Chinese society, pop culture, and gender issues. She shares her love for hotpot on hotpotambassador.com. Contact at manya@whatsonweibo.com, or follow on Twitter.

China Memes & Viral
“The Frog in the Well”: China’s Condemnation of the G7 Summit
The most noteworthy criticism of the G7 summit came from Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying, who started the frog analogy.
Published
4 days agoon
May 24, 2023
There has been a lot of talk about frogs in Chinese online discussions following the G7 summit. Over the past week, the G7 summit, that was held in Hiroshima from 19 to 21 May, was criticized in Chinese newspaper headlines and by official media accounts, while China’s ministry of foreign affairs accused the G7 of “smearing” and “attacking” China.
The G7 was called a “failure” on the China Daily front page of May 22. On the same day, Global Times called the summit “manipulative” in its front page headline and suggested the Group of Seven had descended into an “anti-China workshop” in its op-ed, which featured an illustration by Liu Rui that showed the seven nations in a boat, not cooperating and barely moving.

The Global Times op-ed, including the cartoon by Li Rui. Source: Global Times.
But perhaps the most noteworthy criticism on the G7 summit came from Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying (华春莹).
On her official Twitter account (@SpokespersonCHN) Hua lashed out against the G7 and its participating nations in a series of tweets in which she condemned the summit as hypocritical, deceptive, and biased, while highlighting China’s contributions to global economic growth.

Some of the tweets posted by Hua Chunying in response to the Group of Seven “attacking” and “slandering” China.
The Chinese condemnation of the G7 is a direct response to the G7 Communiqué and to the summit’s supposed “hype around China-related issues.”
During the G7 summit in Hiroshima, the participating nations expressed growing concerns about China’s expanding global influence. The summit’s official statement emphasized the need to “de-risk” rather than “de-couple” from China in their relationship. The statement mentioned China 20 times, a significant increase from the 14 mentions in 2022.
The discussions focused on various aspects related to China, including its relations with Taiwan, human rights issues in Xinjiang and Tibet, interference in democratic institutions, and responses to Russia’s military aggression.
Prior to the summit, President Emmanuel Macron of France made it clear through one of his advisers that the G7 was not an ‘anti-Chinese’ coalition. However, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak of the United Kingdom went beyond the official statement, emphasizing the significant threat posed by China to global security. Speaking to reporters at the G7 meeting, Sunak stated that “China poses the biggest challenge of our age to global security and prosperity. They are increasingly authoritarian at home and assertive abroad.”
From China’s perspective, the Group of Seven is unwilling to go beyond their own distorted world view in which China is labeled a threat. And so, in one of Hua’s tweets, she posted an image showing a frog on the bottom a well, looking up to the sky and wondering: “G7 = world?”

The image tweeted out by Hua Chunying on 22 May, 2023. Source: Twitter.com.
The depiction of a frog in the well is a direct reference to the well-known fable by philosopher Zhuangzi about a frog in a well who does not believe it when a turtle tells him that the world is bigger than the view from the well. The frog stubbornly denies the existence of the wider world and asserts that nothing lies beyond what he can see. The fable has given rise to Chinese idioms such as “the frog at the bottom of the well” (井底之蛙) and “looking at the sky from the bottom of the well” (坐井观天). These idioms are commonly used to describe those who exhibit ignorance and resist broadening their understanding beyond their limited perspective.
Hua’s frog-tweet and others were also shared on Weibo by state media outlet China Daily, which initiated the hashtags “Hua Chunying Fires Back with Series of Tweets to Counter G7’s Smear Campaign Against China” (#华春莹连发多条推特回击G7抹黑中国言论#) and “Hua Chunying Uses Frog at Bottom of Well to Hit Back at G7’s Smearing Remarks” (#华春莹用井底之蛙回击G7抹黑言论#).
One nationalistic Weibo blogging account (@大大大餅乾丶) shared additional images of frogs, including one with a frog adorned with an American flag and the word “independence” written on its forehead. The blogger pointed out that some groups in Taiwan believed that Hua’s frog tweet was directed at Taiwan, stating: “It seems like their self-awareness is right on point.”

Post by Weibo account @大大大餅干丶, including the frog image. (Source: Weibo.com).
The connection between the frog idiom and Taiwan is not unfounded. In August 2022, during Pelosi’s controversial visit to Taiwan, an illustration depicting a frog leisurely relaxing in a hotpot while the US increased the heat and mainland China held the lid also went viral online.

Illustration by Kokita Chang, circulating on Weibo in August of 2022.
Meanwhile, on Weibo, many praised Hua’s sharp criticism of the way in which China was targeted during the G7 talks and embraced the frog analogy. “One a frog, always a frog,” some wrote.
Other state media outlets, including Global Times, also reported about Hua’s tweets and argued that that the G7 is purposely hyping the “China treat” theory (中国威胁论). The louder their anti-China rhetoric is, the less impact it has, the article argues.
Other commenters, however, seemed to note some irony in the frog analogy. One blogger argued that since the frog in the image himself wonders if the G7 is really the entire world, he actually already does not have such a limited worldview. Several Weibo users wondered who the frog actually represented, suggesting it could either be the G7, Taiwan, or mainland China itself.
Within this context, some individuals expressed curiosity about Hua Chunying’s choice to post the original message on the American Twitter platform, which is inaccessible within mainland China. They humorously remarked, “Twitter? What is Twitter?”
By Manya Koetse & Zilan Qian
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China Insight
“Can’t Watch the Fire Burn Across the River” – Xi’s Phone Call with Zelensky
China won’t “watch the fire from the other side of the river,” but it also will not “pour oil on the fire” of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Published
4 weeks agoon
April 29, 2023
On April 26th, Chinese state media outlet CCTV posted a lengthy post on Weibo about the much-anticipated phone call between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to CCTV, the main point of the conversation was to exchange views on China-Ukrainian relations – based on “mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity” – and the war in Ukraine.
The phone call is especially noteworthy because it is the first Xi-Zelensky conversation since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The phone call came after a number of noteworthy international developments, including Xi’s visit to Moscow in late March, French President Macron’s China visit in April, and that of Von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.
The momentous conversation also took place shortly after comments made by Lu Shaye (卢沙野), the Chinese ambassador to France, caused controversy. Last week, Lu questioned the independence of former Soviet countries like Ukraine in an interview with French television network LCI. He commented on Crimea being Russian and suggested that former Soviet countries have no “effective status” in international law. The interview sparked controversy and anger among former Soviet countries Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, and other European countries.
Meanwhile, on the Chinese side, the Foreign Ministry stated it respects the sovereignty of ex-Soviet states. Various voices argued that Lu Shaye’s words were taken out of context and were the effect of a certain Western media strategy (see the take by Chinese scholar Zheng Ruolin here and that of commentator Hu Xijin here). However, Lu Shaye’s remarks regarding post-Soviet nations could have increased the urgency for Xi to reach out to Zelensky via phone.
Putting Out the Fire
One sentence from the phone call that was highlighted by Chinese state media and which was turned into a social media hashtag was that of how China “will neither watch the fire from across the river nor pour oil on the fire” (#我们既不会隔岸观火也不会拱火浇油#).
While the sentence reiterates China’s supposed neutrality in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the conversation between Xi and Zelensky also signalled China’s desire to take on the role as a responsible global power and international peacemaker.
CCTV reported that China will insist on urging for peace and make its own efforts to stop the war. China reportedly will send an envoy (Special Representative of the Chinese Government for Eurasian Affairs/中国政府欧亚事务特别代表) to Ukraine and “other countries” to help seek a political settlement in the crisis through in-depth discussions with all parties.
Chinese official reports on the call also emphasized how Zelenskiy congratulated President Xi Jinping on his re-election and that Ukraine adheres to the one-China policy, hoping to “open a new chapter in Sino-Ukrainian relations and work together to maintain world peace and stability.”

Direct News headlined that the US was “sour” over China’s conversation with Ukraine.
News of the call was posted and promoted on Chinese social media by various media accounts. Direct News (直新闻) by Shenzhen Media Group even called the Xi-Zelensky call “the most significant international news of the entire week.”
The same media outlet also said that the U.S. response to the Xi-Zelensky call was “somewhat sour.” White House spokesman John Kirby called it “a good thing” but also said it was too early to know whether it would lead to “some sort of meaningful peace movement, or plan or proposal”.
Although most Chinese media accounts reporting on the phone call on Weibo had their comment sections turned off – leaving no room for online discussions, – pundit and former Global Times chief editor Hu Xijin also posted a lengthy commentary on Weibo about the issue on April 27th, which received over 900 (selected) replies.
Hu stressed the important role China has in a world where it is the only major country that maintains friendly relations with both Russia and Ukraine, with both leaders willing to listen to China’s views. Neverthless, Hu wrote that there is still a long road ahead for peace to be achieved.
Hu also suggested that Washington is playing a negative role in reaching a political settlement of the Russia-Ukraine crisis. The US has not shown “true willingness to push for a ceasefire” and moreover is also “utilizing the war for its own strategic objectives,” according to Hu.
In the comment section, many discussions were also focused on the role of the US. “They don’t want a ceasefire,” some wrote.
There were also other commenters who suggested that the key to solving the war in Ukraine eventually is not up to the US, nor to China, but to Russia and Ukraine alone.
Some still have the hope that China can make a difference in achieving peace: “China can do what other countries cannot. When it comes to it [reaching peace], we can do it.”
By Manya Koetse
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