Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is implementing his “Chinese dream”: Following the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 19th National Congress, he will become the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong (毛澤東).
When he first proposed the “Chinese dream,” it was to “revive the mighty Chinese people” and make society “prosperous, strong, democratic, civilized, harmonious, free, fair, abide by the rule of law, patriotic, just, honest and friendly.”
By proposing this slogan, Xi incited wide debate within China. In particular, the goals of freedom, democracy, fairness and the rule of law were seen as strong hints at the arrival of an era of openness that would cast off the last vestiges of the Cultural Revolution.
At the 19th National Congress, the world discovered that the “Chinese dream” is Xi’s own dream. Through the anti-corruption drive, he has used a stronger hand than anyone before him to purge those with differing opinions from the party and consolidate his hold on power just in time for the congress.
This is a dream that follows its own rhythm and order, and has allowed Xi to amass more power than anyone since Mao. To pave the way, Xi has aggressively built a new Great Wall, the “Great Firewall,” that is virtually impossible to penetrate.
Thanks to the slogans about freedom, democracy, fairness and the rule of law, Chinese are being treated differently from how they used to be treated: Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo (劉曉波) spent his last days in isolation and his wife, Liu Xia (劉霞), has been persecuted. Human rights lawyers are enjoying even more attention, as they are not only blocked from defending people who have been arrested, but are being arrested themselves.
Only after having stabilized the nation will Xi be able to concentrate on pursuing his personal “Chinese dream.” The real enemy is not the US or Japan: it is the huge domestic population. Every Chinese is an imaginary enemy of the top leader and the national defense is aimed at every citizen.
This has not changed over the past 100 years: All guns are aimed inward.
China was invaded by foreign imperialists in the 19th century and it was not until Japan surrendered in 1949 that revival became possible.
In 1997, Hong Kong was returned to China and the ghost of imperialism was chased out. If imperialism still exists in the 21st century, it is outside of China.
The present presents China with an opportunity that has been rare in modern times. It is also a rare opportunity to offer democracy and freedom to Chinese. Prosperity and strength is not only a matter of improving production capacity, it should also be manifested in civil society.
However, that is not the case. The freedom and democracy of the “Chinese dream” are instead disappearing into the distance.
The budget to maintain stability surpasses the defense budget year after year, and the political significance of this is becoming abundantly clear: The true enemy is not imperialism, but the unarmed and defenseless Chinese public. When a name must be registered to purchase a kitchen knife, that is a sign that the CCP has absolutely no faith in Chinese.
China might be rising, but Chinese are cowering. What is really on the rise is the CCP, a communist party that has turned its back on Marxism.
Xi is about to elevate his political status to become the most powerful leader in the world. What is sure is that the “Chinese dream” will be elevated with Xi and become a “Chinese nightmare,” devoid of human rights and universal values.
Chen Fang-ming is a professor at National Chengchi University’s Graduate Institute of Taiwanese Literature.
Translated by Perry Svensson
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