I must begin this column by saying that the problems in dealing with, and writing about, China are immense. Their culture, traditions, history, mores, etc., are so different, so alien and obscure to Westerners that it becomes extremely challenging to understand the Chinese mind and why they do what they do. They are “foreign” in every sense of the word, and I don’t mean that negatively. In my ten years there, I think I slowly began to comprehend a little bit about China and the Chinese way of thinking. And when I say “a little bit,” I mean about 5%. Most Americans hover at 0%.
Some examples. I’ve mentioned before that my second-to-last Chinese employer (from October 2020-February 2021) constantly lied to me, cheated me, blackmailed me, broke our contract, extorted money from me, and flat out stole money and my computer. He had all the leverage. I sued him. It was a slam-dunk case, Gomer Pyle could have proved it in court. The Chinese judge decided totally in the thief’s favor and I got nothing. The kicker is, soon after, the employer asked me—and he was serious—“Why did you sue me?” Theft, extortion, blackmail, breach of contract—and he wanted to know why I sued him. But he may be so morally obtuse that he really DOESN’T understand that what he did was reprehensible. Any country that worships a mass murderer like Mao Zedong has some serious moral issues. And this is the Leftism the Democratic Party is bringing to America. More on this in an upcoming column.
There is an element in China, the “master” class, that thinks they can do absolutely anything they want to anybody “below” them. And they are shocked when the “slave” fights back like I did. Most Chinese certainly don’t. They just submit because that’s what slaves do.
Recently, I was talking to another former Chinese student of mine who is getting cheated by his employer, worked to death, small salary, no overtime pay, total abuse. I suggested he try to find a job with a Western company. His response: “Everybody wants to go to a western company. It’s not easy to do. I definitely want to join one.” There ARE people in China who are beginning to recognize the incredible injustices in the system, but they are powerless to do anything about it. He further stated, “The government doesn’t do sh*t to punish those [thieving Chinese] companies.” I can attest to that from my personal experience, but many Chinese people know it now, too. That’s progress.
So, my point here is, China is a very inscrutable country. Many of their people are, slowly, beginning to learn certain Western values of justice and fairness, but it is totally non-existent among the “nomenklatura,” i.e., the CCP and the “master class,” who still believe the “slaves” (domestic and foreign) exist for the sole purpose of being exploited. Significant, bewildering enigmas remain. There are so many contradictions in China now. The Western influence is gradually affecting them, which is probably why Xi Jinping is now limiting foreign entrance. He and his comrades have a good thing going and they don’t want to lose it.
So, when I write, in the title of this column, “If I were Xi Jinping...,” I confess that I am totally using my imagination, that I haven’t got one scintilla of knowledge what is in that man’s head, how he thinks, reasons, or comes to decisions. And nobody else does, either. He’ll do what is best for the CCP, but only he defines that. I read many articles by “Chinese scholars” about China, making various predictions, that are almost invariably wrong. Not even they have a clue what is in the murky inner mindset of Xi Jinping and the CCP.
Thus, with that caveat before us, what would I do if I were Xi Jinping? I would invade Taiwan tomorrow. Joe Biden has gotten America into a costly, useless mess in Ukraine, wasting billions of dollars of valuable military resources. Now, Hamas has attacked Israel, and Nikki Haley, Lindsey Graham, and every other warmongering Uniparty Swamp Creature in Washington wants America to go to war with Iran because, well, because Iran is there. How many billions will that cost? I’m Xi Jinping. “America is squandering countless military resources in Ukraine and now they will spend untold billions more in Israel and the Middle East. What would they have left over if I attacked Taiwan now?” That’s the way I would think if I were Xi Jinping and was looking for an opportune moment to invade Taiwan. Not to mention the utterly incompetent boob in the White House who would have absolutely no idea how to hand a third war/crisis, since he doesn’t even know how to handle the first two. Yeah. I’m Xi Jinping. I invade Taiwan post haste.
Of course, I spent the bulk of this essay arguing that I have little inkling how the Chinese mind works, so I’m pretty confident Xi won’t do what I would do if I were him. He may not invade Taiwan for years. He’s really in no hurry. Everybody in China already thinks Taiwan belongs to China. Yes, there would be some financial benefits if the PRC owned the Republic, but China isn’t hurting now. Well, from all the “experts’” opinions, China IS hurting financially, but that doesn’t mean Xi is going to go off half-cocked and start a war with Taiwan. It just means those “experts” don’t know what they are talking about here, either. So don’t be surprised if Xi Jinping just sits in the sun, watches America disintegrate under the Uniparty, and then walks into Taiwan in a few years when we have absolutely nothing left to stop him with. But I don’t know. Who does?
Ukraine. Hamas. Hezbollah. Israel. Iran. Taiwan. Can you imagine Joe Biden dealing with all that? I should be Xi Jinping.
Check out my substack, mklewis929.substack.com, and listen to my “Wisdom from Our Founders” series, especially my current podcasts on the Declaration of Independence. Many other articles/podcasts as well. Sign up for free. Read my western novels, Whitewater , River Bend, Return to River Bend, and Allie’s Dilemma all available on Amazon. Follow me on Twitter: @thailandmkl.