The China syndrome: a reader
Our relationship with the People's Republic of China is under the microscope, so here is a compendium of what I've written on the subject
When I first learned the word “Sinologist”, someone who is an expert on all things Chinese, I adored it: its form gave little clue to its specific meaning, and, in a sort of intellectual onomatopoeia, its mysterious nature seemed perfectly suited to the study of a culture, society and political entity which the West so often lazily daubed simply as “inscrutable”. I am guessing, but it was probably when I was somewhere between seven and 10—I base that on the fact that the root was introduced into common coinage in 1984, when the British and Chinese governments concluded the Sino-British Joint Declaration on the political and constitutional future of Hong Kong, then a British Dependent Territory.
It is now a commonplace to call this the “Chinese Century”. This has had two effects, almost in opposite directions: first, no-one who hopes to understand, let alone comment on, geopolitical events can place China in a conceptual box and write it off as something to which they pay no attention; equally, however, to present yourself as a “Sinologist” (I don’t) now requires detailed knowledge and profound understanding.
This prompted me to think about China and our relations with it, and I went back to the archives to see what I’d published on the subject. There was more than I thought, although some of it focuses on other issues but has a connection to the PRC. I doubt that China will fade from our policy debate in the foreseeable future, so I thought it might be interesting or useful to bring it all together in one place.
“From John le Carré to Chinese communists: Are there still reds under the bed?” City A.M., 16 December 2020
“Aye, aye Captain! The new defence chief of staff needs to tackle the China question” City A.M., 11 October 2021
“China’s undeclared information war with Taiwan is a warning from Beijing” City A.M., 3 April 2023
“The advance of India ahead of China offers new ground for a Global Britain” City A.M., 9 May 2023
“To achieve a strong semiconductor strategy, we need to keep Taiwan safe” City A.M., 22 May 2023
“Is the West making a huge mistake by engaging with China?” i News, 4 July 2023
“Congress takes the policy initiative on China” The Ideas Lab, 22 August 2023
“China spy’ arrest raises concerns that parliament is UK’s soft underbelly” i News, 11 September 2023
“Is it time to admit China is a ‘threat’?” The Spectator, 13 September 2023
“Japan’s growing military power will help the West challenge China’s threat” City A.M., 25 September 2023
“Biden needs to know how far he is willing to go in a tussle with Beijing” City A.M., 30 October 2023
“Protect Taiwan by further integrating it into the global community The Hill, 10 January 2024
“The UK should expect retaliation after rebuking China for cyber-attack” i News, 26 March 2024
You may find these useful, or simply amusing. Or neither. In any event, these are some things I think about China, its relationship with the rest of the world and how we should approach it. I will keep this updated, as I suspect it’s a subject which I’ll come back to frequently.