China and Chinese – Need to give the less discerning world better perceptions

A friend forwarded me a video clip showing a long line of Chinese being arraigned (rounded up?) to be deported to China. Such a scene did not come as a surprise to me. However, the flag that is placed next to China’s aroused my curiosity. There is no country that has that flag. I was therefore skeptical of the clip’s genuineness. I asked if it was made for a movie. Another friend in the chat group said the flag belonged to a separatist state in Myanmar. Apparently, 1,200 Chinese criminals have been netted and they are being deported to China.

Chinese criminals operate with a great degree of lawlessness in Southeast Asia. Those based in Myanmar and Cambodia are particularly evil and wicked, luring unsuspected job-hungry people, especially those of Chinese descent, with promises of high pay, to travel to Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia, but only to find themselves being sold like cattle to partake in scams, gambling solicitations, sex trade, drug smuggling, organ sales, etc. Ransoms are demanded from their loved ones at home, and notwithstanding the fact the money had been remitted, many never returned, with some had their organs harvested and left to die and be thrown like rubbish in dark corners.

The Chinese government has been doing its utmost to hunt down these criminals. Many had been sent back to face the music like this one. Most of these in the pictures are mules called piglets in the trade Their arrest is a god-send opportunity for them to have their lives back, albeit after a jail time in China. But the kingpins run their operations from elsewhere, and live a life that is opulent by any standard. (Aren't those recently caught in Singapore also snakeheads? See how luxurious their condos and houses are, and the types of cars they show off. But many seemed oblivious to the consequences that they would face if they are caught. Why is this so?

I have used the term Chineseness often in my blog. The latest being my use of it to describe Huawei’s resilience and its ability to come up with that Mate 60 Pro smartphone phenomenon. A well-intentioned friend thought the word was not quite appropriate and suggested that I use “the spirit of the Chinese” to describe the many traits that Chinese generally possess when they face challenges and suppression. I replied to say that while that is part of my intention, my concept of the term really goes beyond the hallmarks but also the negative aspects of Chinese behaviours, many of which were actually reflected through our Confucian upbringing. A case in point is the unnecessary self-effacing tendency by Chinese in public appearances. And while innate entrepreneurship seems to be another positive aspect of the community, it is often driven by extreme greed, like the way some of these people in the video have been transformed into ‘snakeheads’.

(a)  Power of Greed

I always contend that, which many Chinese will disagree, we are culturally influenced by competing philosophies, each has its own logic. Kung-tze and his equally sagely disciples preached transparency and good deeds. On the other hand, Sun-tze’s military doctrine emphasizes deceptions as a tactical measure to win battles, without even having to fight one. Chinese minds are therefore in many ways shaped in that mixed-bag of head-and-soul determinations – Ren Zhengfei, Robert Kuok, and their likes on one side of the entrepreneurial divide, and Jho Low and the snakeheads on the other.  

(b)  Subtle Patronage

Even though China does not quite admit it, their concept of world order is still premised very much on the need for them to play a big brother role to the lesser countries in the region. This certainly appears too patronising to many.

The Nine-Dash Line is already difficult for its neighbours to accept, yet a new map which has just been released by China shows a new maritime boundary: A Ten-Dash Line! I do not believe China means it to say that the whole South China Sea is theirs. It might mean a defence line which China would not allow the US and its allies to breach, and their defence actions begin from there. If this indeed is the case, then they should have explained it when it was published. Call it China’s Maritime Defence Line, and who would quarrel with you?

China’s PR is weak, even though they have a team of highly regarded MoF spokespersons. Their CGTN is too mickey-mousy to the world to tune in. They have to learn from the West how world opinions are shaped. You need to speak to the world in English, which is an unfortunate but real-world fact. I am sure that readers are aware that there are many Taiwan scholars and thinkers who speak highly of China’s leadership and their achievements. And they are very pro-unification. One even lamented that he wished what they have said could be translated into English for the Americans and their allies to understand. It is a fact that DPP commands only about a third of the support from Taiwanese, but because the other political forces there are so fragmented, the trophy of the next presidential election is likely to end up on William Lai’s lap.

If only the Taiwanese can come to realisation that it is important for them to call themselves ‘Chinese’, then the unnecessary threat from the US and its allies would evaporate immediately. The world will go about doing their usual business thereafter.

(c)   Unabashed Flouting of Wealth

Many Chinese have made good and become fabulously rich. Despite their wealth, many live modestly. However, some with their wealth are anxious to show that they now belong to a different world. In public places, some behave as if they own the world – loud and obnoxious. You can have your Bentley or Ferrari, but you also need to be law-abiding. Some treat the roads as if they were built for them – indiscriminate parking, etc. Of course, fellow Chinese will just label you as show-offs, but in societies where there are other races, behaviours like this attract racial stereotyping – Chinese are exploiting us!

 

(d)  Blind to Good Etiquette

Strangers, even of the same kind, usually appear invisible to Chinese. Few bothers to greet fellow park users. In public places, like food courts and transport terminals, there is a tendency to deprive others of space even if you do not need it. And personal hygiene is thrown into the air, especially in toilets. All these make others think that we Chinese are ugly and uncouth.

 

One can write books on this. With its rise, it is time for China and Chinese to give the world better perceptions of the country and themselves.