The author of this piece requested to remain anonymous. As a citizen of China, a country where the government has in the past denied entrance to dissident citizens, ze fears potential problematic repercussions if the article is published under hir real name.
The old specter of Communism survived the global disenchantment of the early 1990s in the Far East. Condemned by the world after its bloody crackdown of the 1989 Tiananmen Protest, the Chinese Communist Party succeeded in gripping power over the most populous nation in the world. Two decades later, with its astonishing record of economic development, the CCP has successfully conjured the illusion of a rising power. The regime’s dazzling orchestration of the 2008 Olympic Opening Ceremony at the Bird’s Nest Stadium dazzled some of its most persistent critics.
At times, many were optimistic that the constant improvement of the economic lives of the Chinese people would eventually lead to a more liberal and democratic society. Certain Western politicians were known for their advocacy and for their pragmatism, i.e. doing business with China regardless of its human rights abuses. George W. Bush once asserted, “Trade freely with China, and time is on our side.” When confronted by their domestic critics for supporting the Chinese Communist Party, these politicians insisted that the country was being transformed into a more benign market economy governed by an authoritarian administration.
On April 4, 2011, the arrest of Ai Weiwei smashed the remaining veil of the Chinese regime. The arrest of Mr. Ai was unexpected and unreasonable. Unlike many of the well-known dissidents who were arrested recently, Mr. Ai was apolitical. As an international artist who designed the Bird’s Nest Stadium for the 2008 Olympics, this cherubic guy was known as an outspoken social activist who supported various programs defending the human rights of grassroots Chinese. More than 20 days after his arrest, none of his family members have received any formal notification regarding his status from the government. Official accusations against Mr. Ai publicized by the state propaganda system include having too many mistresses, publishing immoral artworks, and being “outstandingly independent.” None of these, however, sound plausible.
A recent episode of PBS’s Frontline raised a great question, “Who’s Afraid of Ai Weiwei?” If the Chinese Communist Party is as confident about its legitimacy as it has claimed, there really is no point in arresting an outspoken artist. The arrest of the designer of the Olympic showcase ironically highlights the regime’s illegitimacy. The Chinese government spent more money last year on internal security against its own people ($83.5 billion dollars) than its officially publicized defense budget. This year, the projected budget for police, state security, armed civil militia, courts, and jails amounts to about $95 billion, a 13.8 percent increase, which again outnumbers the defense budget. The CCP is so paranoid about losing its power to its own people that it ruthlessly clamps down on anything it perceives as a threat.
Dartmouth Professor of Modern China Pamela K. Crossley describes the Chinese regime as “the novelty of a hypertrophied center” unseen in history. She warns the world about the aggressiveness and cruelty embedded in the Leviathan. Indeed, emboldened by its massive foreign reserves and modern technologies, the Chinese party-state regime is in a sense potentially more troubling to the world than the former Soviet Union. It is equally power-hungry, ruthless, and oppressive; however, it is more sophisticated, hypocritical, and has learned well how to adapt to the global capitalistic system.
This system may be described as Capitalistic Totalitarianism, a blend between the worst of State Socialism and Crude Capitalism. Under such a system, the party-state maintains the traditional Communistic monopoly of power, while rejecting the party-state’s obligation to social justice and welfare. It encourages the exploitation of its own people while rejecting genuine market institutions such as the protection of individual property rights. It bribes opponents with its money and it crushes dissidents with its army.
The corrupting power of the regime was recently reaffirmed in the case of Bob Dylan’s self-censorship of his first ever concert in China. Dylan promised the party-state that he would only perform politically pre-approved songs. His arrival at Beijing coincided with the disappearance of Ai Weiwei. While local artists bravely protested the arrest of Mr. Ai, Dylan, the 1960s icon, remained disappointingly silent. The New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd acridly criticized Dylan’s performance. Joe Joseph, the British leader-writer of The Times wrote Ai Weiwei’s Homesick Blues, mimicking Dylan’s Subterranean Homesick Blues.
We cannot and must not remain silent like Dylan. The shamelessness, ruthlessness, and aggressiveness manifested in the Chinese regime’s recent suppression of its own people constitutes a clear challenge to universal values, thereby posing a direct threat to global peace and prosperity in both the short and long term. Citizens of the West should learn from Europe’s historical mistake of appeasing Hitler, allowing him to freely persecute any and all dissidents. We should be more alert to the rise of Capitalistic Totalitarianism. With countless cases of callous crackdowns on Chinese dissidents, an imminent danger has already emerged as a pressing problem that must be addressed by the global community.
What can we do to counteract the increasingly aggressive party-state? As many observers rightly point out, the Chinese rulers are paranoid precisely because they are aware of the fragility of their rule. The determination behind the ruthless silencing of dissident voices on such a massive scale reflects the limits of the Leviathan. Capitalistic Totalitarianism is based on the utilization of force and lies. Although we may not be able to confront the regime directly, we can undermine its deception and lies by promoting the flow of truth. As former Czechoslavian dissident Vaclav Havel insightfully points out, a totalitarian regime is “the captive of its own lies.” The regime must constantly forge lies in order to justify its legitimacy. In turn, any exposure of lies undermines the credibility of the regime and its self-claimed legitimacy.
This is the epoch where individuals can play a significant role in many realms long occupied by state bureaucrats. Thanks to the Internet, we can make a difference in shattering the Leviathan’s clay feet. If your Chinese friends believe in the legitimate use of force by the party-state in combating “the anti-revolutionary rioting of 1989,” invite them to verify their position through independent research. If you are traveling to China, learn about how to circumvent the Internet censoring mechanism known as the Great Firewall, and share this knowledge with local people who are interested in knowing more about the outside world. Even if you don’t know any Chinese citizens, or speak no Chinese, you can still make a meaningful difference by supporting prestigious NGOs such as Human Rights in China, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International. You can also join a Facebook group to support the persecuted, such as Ai Weiwei and Liu Xiaobo, and share the news about human rights abuses in China on Twitter. A more timely choice is to visit http://change.org/petitions/call-for-the-release-of-ai-weiwei and sign the petition.
The point is to make our voices heard. It is impractical for everyone to directly confront the Capitalistic Totalitarian party-state, as we all remember the blood on Tiananmen Square. Nevertheless, it is essential to show the Chinese dictators that people worldwide remember and condemn their atrocities. We refuse to conceal our views. People of all countries, speak out!
Due to Argus policy, the author’s original footnotes are omitted.