In the United States political circle, the distinction between “CCP” and “China” has long been clear. And now mainstream media is also making this call in their publications. This appeal has received responses from various Chinese communities.
Recently, the U.S. mainstream media Bloomberg published a commentary titled “America Just Doesn’t Get China’s People vs. the CCP.” The author is Karishma Vaswani, a columnist for Bloomberg.
The article points out that from Washington to Tokyo, to Manila and Brussels, the mistrust towards Beijing is escalating. However, global political leaders must stop conflating the CCP with the Chinese people. The CCP does not represent the hopes and dreams of 1.4 billion Chinese citizens.
A survey released by the Pew Research Center on May 1st showed that 81% of Americans have held a negative view of China for the fifth consecutive year, with 43% holding a “very negative view.” When it comes to U.S.-China relations, 50% of Americans see China as a competitor, 42% see China as an enemy, and only 6% see China as a partner.
The commentary suggests that “it is dangerous to view an entire country through the lens of a party,” because “the Chinese people and the CCP are not the same.” The U.S. should strive to “distinguish between the desires of Xi Jinping and his party from the desires of the Chinese people.” Various signs indicate that the CCP’s policies are losing the trust of many Chinese people.
After the publication of this article, it has sparked reactions both domestically and internationally.
Commentator Zhou Xiaohui said in an article on May 9th that the timing of Bloomberg’s publication is significant. This undoubtedly represents a new turning point, indicating a clearer understanding of the true nature of the CCP by the United States and the world, representing a global trend towards anti-communism, and showing how the U.S. and Europe can more accurately target the weaknesses of the CCP.
Zhou Xiaohui noted that the effects of distinguishing the CCP from China and the Chinese people are enormous. Firstly, it helps the world understand better who is the culprit causing turmoil in various parts of the world; secondly, it will awaken more brainwashed Chinese people to think about who is harming China and the Chinese people, and whose interests the CCP truly represents; thirdly, it exposes the evils of the CCP, no longer allowing it to hijack China and the Chinese people.
The article has provided Western countries with a very effective tactic. The biggest enemy of the CCP is not the United States or the West, but the Chinese people themselves. If Western countries abandon their concern for democracy and human rights in China, they are essentially aiding the authoritarian CCP, so they should not give up this advantageous weapon. The CCP fears international opinion separating them from the Chinese people each time, causing them to panic.
The article also addresses Chinese netizens, warning against mocking the Chinese people or their race, as discriminating against the Chinese people does not align with the moral basis of anti-communism. The foundation of opposing communism is to wish well for the Chinese people, who are mistreated by the CCP.
A month before the publication of this Bloomberg article, American scholar and veteran journalist Fang Wei also made a similar call. On March 31st, Fang Wei appealed to the media through the X platform not to use “China” in reporting related to CCP politics, power, diplomacy, and military, but to use “CCP”, such as CCP regime, CCP Ministry of Foreign Affairs, CCP Ambassador to the U.S., CCP military.
Fang Wei explained that this is not unprofessional but is an accurate representation of the essence of the subject, a precise usage. It is also a social responsibility for the media to show a clear stance when facing a government and actions that violate universal values. This is crucial for the future of China and the world.
Fang Wei also stated that the CCP is an ideology that survives by confusing human thoughts and attaching itself to established mechanisms. This regime always emphasizes the “people”: people’s government, people’s police, people’s court, people’s bank, people’s army. This is not just rhetoric but how it sustains itself. By tearing apart this attached ideology from China, it will lose its energy, legitimacy, and place in the hearts of the people, gradually withering and disappearing.
Regarding the issue of attachment, the Epoch Times series editorial “Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party” explains that the Communist Party is an evil spirit that is anti-natural, anti-heaven, anti-earth, and anti-human. The Communist Party does not engage in production or inventiveness; once it seizes power, it attaches itself to the Chinese people, manipulates and controls them, monopolizes the initial source of social wealth to extract resources.
The editorial further describes the Communist Party as a massive evil spirit that attaches itself to every cell unit of Chinese society, perpetually and stably.
Since the previous Trump administration, the U.S. has clearly distinguished between “CCP” and “China.” Former Secretary of State Pompeo has repeatedly stated that the CCP is not equivalent to the Chinese people.
On October 30, 2019, Pompeo spoke at the conservative think tank The Hudson Institute, saying, “We have a long tradition of friendship with the Chinese people… but I have to say, today’s CCP government is different from the Chinese people. They are challenging the U.S. and the world in various ways.”
A few days later, on November 8, 2019, during the event commemorating the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Pompeo separated “CCP” from “Chinese people” once again. He praised the Chinese people as an innovative, intelligent nation, emphasizing that the conflict is between “the CCP and its authoritarian regime challenging people around the world who love freedom.”
On July 23, 2020, Pompeo delivered the “New Iron Curtain Speech” at the Nixon Presidential Library in California, titled “The Future of Communism in China and the Free World.” He stated that the biggest lie of the communists is claiming to speak for the 1.4 billion people who cannot voice their honest opinions due to fear of the CCP.
Additionally, former Vice President Pence, former House Speaker Gingrich, former Director of the White House Trade Council Navarro, former White House strategist Bannon, General Spalding, and many members of Congress have clearly distinguished the CCP from China and the Chinese people in their speeches.
After the change of administration in the U.S., the practice of distinguishing between the CCP and the Chinese people has been continued.
In May 2022, U.S. Secretary of State Blinken stated in a speech on China policy that the U.S. has profound disagreements with the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese (CCP) government, but these disagreements exist only between the governments and systems of both countries, not among the people.
In January 2023, the new U.S. House of Representatives created the “United States-China Strategic Competition Special Committee” with an overwhelming majority vote. The committee’s inaugural chairman, Republican Federal Representative Mike Gallagher, highlighted the need to establish a united front in Congress to combat the Chinese Communist Party, emphasizing the importance of ensuring that they distinguish between the Party and the Chinese people, who are often the main victims of CCP aggression and repression.
This clear distinction has instilled fear in the CCP.
In July 2021, Xi Jinping stated that any attempt to divide and oppose the CCP and the Chinese people would not succeed, as “the 1.4 billion Chinese people would not agree.”
In August 2020, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian claimed during a press conference that the CCP and the Chinese people are deeply connected, and the Chinese people are the “steel wall” of the CCP, warning against anyone trying to break that bond.
The term “steel wall” has been widely questioned by Chinese netizens, revealing that the people are being used as “human shields” by the CCP.