The end of Western naivety about China
A new China debate pits optimists against fatalists
Among Western democratic governments, this is a moment of unhappy clarity about China. Their bleak consensus follows years of naivety and wilful self-delusion about the nature of Xi Jinping’s regime. A changed mood—one of shared, durable gloom—was on display at the latest Stockholm China Forum. This is a gathering of American and European officials, scholars and business types that Chaguan has attended, on and off, since 2008 (Chinese diplomats and scholars attend some sessions).
This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “The West drops naivety about China”
From the June 10th 2023 edition
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