Trump’s indictment and bank collapses a poor advertisement for US democracy
- The news coming out of the world’s largest economy – from mass shootings to a divided political system – has heightened Chinese youths’ unfavourable view of the US
- The recent Summit for Democracy appears to be little more than a moralising platform to sell a political system that is far from ideal
The many political, social and military misfortunes that have befallen the US this century have confused and outraged my students, even as they worry about the country that was once a source of envy.
Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, declaring the ideal of a “a government of the people, by the people, for the people”, has long been a source of inspiration to Chinese scholars past and present. We now mourn this broken, unfulfilled American dream.
Many Chinese people see the US preoccupation with fiery rhetoric as a roadblock to progress. In China, the freedom to say nasty things about one another is viewed not so much as a fundamental right, but as a way to lose face. Our freedom of discourse is dictated by decorum, not heightened emotion that dulls critical thinking.
How is it possible that the world’s richest country records tens of thousands of “deaths of despair” due to suicide, drug overdose and alcoholic liver disease? My students might suggest the lack of caring inherent in capitalism brought the US to this point.
Surely, Americans see how the titans of industry are amassing profits during a health crisis, amid energy shortages and even war. Even as shareholders make hay, the elected leaders of the world’s wealthiest country can’t come together to provide affordable healthcare.
It seems that the takeover by the military-industrial complex that former president Dwight Eisenhower’s warned against has materialised. For all its moralising and chest-thumping about democracy, the US and its military have spent trillions of dollars on war.
The Eurasia Group Foundation’s fourth annual international public opinion survey found that the number of Chinese respondents who favour American-style democracy dropped from 44 per cent in 2019 to 32 per cent 2022. The number of Chinese respondents who strongly dislike American democracy more than doubled from 5 per cent in 2019 to 17 per cent in 2022.
Among my young students and contemporaries, very few would agree that American-style democracy should be the way forward for China.
Our criticism of American democracy doesn’t mean we think the Chinese system is flawless. We can see for ourselves the many challenges we haven’t yet overcome, and the deficiencies that need fixing. Chinese decision-makers and academics are constantly issuing warnings that high-quality development of Chinese democracy is required to improve quality of life and enhance people’s sense of security.
From our perspective, the US’ Summit for Democracy is little more than a moralising platform to push flawed American values and sell the US political system as the only valid one. It’s clear intention is to ostracise China, and drive a deeper wedge between our two countries.
We can only hope the US will someday compose itself and learn to respect others.
Wang Wen is a professor and executive dean at Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China