Top 10 American Misconceptions about China

Written by Frank Li

There is just too much American dis-information about China! Three main reasons:

1. The U.S. is losing badly against China in almost all fronts of competition, from the ideology to the economy.
2. China-bashing is a bipartisan sport, with impunity.
3. A crippling American tradition of media distortion. For more, read Media Distortion: From Boston Massacre to Fox News.

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Misconception 1: China is a communist country

China was a communist country from 1949 to 1976. Over the past few decades, China has peacefully transformed itself from communism to “state capitalism”.

China has a one-party political system. The ruling party is named the “Communist Party of China” (CPC). This inconvenient name has given the American Media-Political Complex a good excuse to keep referring to China as “communist China”. But it is not true and it is done only to mislead Americans while demonizing China.

Misconception 2: China is a threat to America

China is neither a threat nor an enemy to America.

Economically, China is a competitor. The use of the word “threat” is malicious and un-American.

Militarily, China has never been a threat to America. For example, in 2019, China’s military spending was $266 billion, while America’s was $716 billion. China did increase its military spending in 2019 by about 10%, which was characterized in America as a “ballooning” military budget. Where else on earth could this kind of characterization have been shamelessly published other than in America?

Read The U.S. Spend More on Its Military Than the Next 10 Countries Combined. Moreover, America is the only country that has been spending like that for decades, thanks to the MIC (Military Industrial Complex). As a result, America has actually been, especially since the Cold War ended in 1991, a major source of instability around the world, particularly in the Mideast.

Misconception 3: China steals America’s jobs

Capitalism is global by definition, from the resources (e.g., oil and gas) to the markets. So, compete or get out of the way. Two facts:

1. Over the past three decades, America lost more jobs to automation than to outsourcing (Most US manufacturing jobs lost to technology, not trade).
2. The primary reason behind America’s outsourcing is that America’s cost structure was, and still is, too high. The jobs that America “lost to China” would have gone to other places, such as India, had China not developed over the past few decades.

Misconception 4: China steals America’s IP (Intellectual Property)

Many countries have succeeded by first copying and then using their success for innovation. This applies to America 200 years ago, as well as to China today.

No doubt, the law must be obeyed. Having said that, let me seek an “understanding” as follows: China invented, among many things, papermaking and gunpowder. What if the Chinese, 2,000 years ago, had set up a patent system that required that, for the next 5,000 years, each and every foreigner pay China 1% for each and every piece of paper and each and every bullet?

Another perspective: Japan “copied” a lot from China for thousands of years, from the language to the culture. I knew that before moving to Japan in 1982. However, it was not until I started writing my first academic paper in English that I realized the depth of the “copy culture” in Japan: as I was struggling with English (and Japanese), my Japanese professor advised me to “借文”, which literally means “to copy text in the name of borrowing”. “借文” are two Chinese characters in Japanese, but they are not Chinese.

Bottom line: Copying is a means by which human civilization advances. People look up to successful people by “copying” them. Mimicking is the sincerest form of flattery.

Misconception 5: China is a currency manipulator

Every country has the right to defend its own currency for its best interests. For example, America printed trillions of dollars throughout the Great Recession and the Covid-19 pandemic. Likewise, China also prints its own money, massively, as it sees necessary. In other words, if China is a currency manipulator, so is America.

For more on this subject, read The U.S. vs. China: Money and Governance.

Misconception 6: China does not have a free market economy

“Free market” is a good idea, but the American version is a lie. For more, read Is American “Free Market” a Lie?

Misconception 7: China trades unfairly with America

“Free trade” is a good idea, but the American version is a lie. For more, read Free Trade and The U.S. and Free Trade and China.

Misconception 8: China has no “Law & Order” like America does

“Law & Order” is a good idea, but the American version is a lie. For more, read American “Law & Order” Is a Lie!

Misconception 9: China has problems with “human rights”

“Human Rights” is a good idea, but the American version is a lie. For more, read Is American “Human Rights” a Lie?

Misconception 10: China has issues with Hong Kong and Xinjiang

Read Hong Kong: A Brief Overview and China’s Xinjiang: A Brief Overview.

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