What the West Gets Wrong About China — with Professor Zhiqun Zhu
Has the West become so preoccupied with the process of government that it has forgotten its purpose?
After a visit to Shanghai challenged his assumptions about China, Mid Atlantic’s host sits down with Professor Zhiqun Zhu, professor of political science and international relations and director of the China Institute at Bucknell University, to explore the country behind the headlines.
Their conversation examines the tensions between economic opportunity and political control, the survival of Deng Xiaoping’s pragmatism under Xi Jinping, and why prosperity and stability matter to the Communist Party’s legitimacy. Zhu also considers whether America’s anxiety about China stems from ideological differences or the prospect of losing its dominant position.
The discussion turns to Taiwan, competing claims in the South China Sea, and Zhu’s prediction that Washington would support Taiwan without entering a direct war with Beijing.
Throughout, one question connects the conversation: can two competing superpowers recognise each other’s interests without allowing rivalry to become confrontation?
A discussion about what China wants, how the West understands it, and where cooperation remains possible.
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