Most of it has its roots in xenophobia and crushing the “near-peer competitors”, yes. You can ask US government about Cold War McCarthyist propaganda which is spread by NATO (US/Europe) media. You can even go back as far as 1940 to find a short film series Drums of Fu Manchu (check YouTube), which is before NATO’s creation, or the Opium War I by Britain in 1856 and British Raj on India for 2 centuries.
Orientalism, xenophobia and imperialist looting/plundering against East are historically well known evil deeds of Anglosphere.
I feel that maybe you’re reading my question as ‘critique of China is inherently support for the west/US/etc’ which I absolutely do not mean. I think that it’s possible that painting all critique with a broad ‘xenophobia’ brush (while undoubtedly warranted at times) can prevent discussion in good faith.
I am asking this in full earnestness: is any critique of the Chinese government assumed to be rooted in xenophobia?
Most of it has its roots in xenophobia and crushing the “near-peer competitors”, yes. You can ask US government about Cold War McCarthyist propaganda which is spread by NATO (US/Europe) media. You can even go back as far as 1940 to find a short film series Drums of Fu Manchu (check YouTube), which is before NATO’s creation, or the Opium War I by Britain in 1856 and British Raj on India for 2 centuries.
Orientalism, xenophobia and imperialist looting/plundering against East are historically well known evil deeds of Anglosphere.
I feel that maybe you’re reading my question as ‘critique of China is inherently support for the west/US/etc’ which I absolutely do not mean. I think that it’s possible that painting all critique with a broad ‘xenophobia’ brush (while undoubtedly warranted at times) can prevent discussion in good faith.