Legal Commentary

Millennials in China look askance at American democracy.

?These millennials represent a radical change from previous generations,? said Keyu Jin, a professor at the London School of Economics and consultant to Richemont, the world?s second-biggest luxury goods company. ?They are confident. They?re prosperous. They?re privileged. And, most importantly, they?re incredibly proud of their nation and its economic prospects.? 

Despite the caveats about measuring public opinion, Jin said: ?There has been a radical shift, even in the last few years. The new generation does not believe that democracy is suitable for China. It does not even believe that a multiparty system might be better for China than what it currently has.? 

The fractious US election campaign is a source of fascination but also of reassurance in a country where there are no democratic complications. ?Many Chinese watch the US presidential election with a sense of astonishment and relief,? said Andy Mok, a Beijing-based American business analyst. ?Astonishment that so much money and political energy is spent. And relief that they do not live under a system of such political dysfunction that erupts in this sad and wasteful spectacle every four years.?...

And Yun Sun, director of the China programme at the Stimson Centre think tank in Washington, said: ?I think the Chinese are often confused about how chaotic and ?indecent? American election politics could be. To a large extent, it signifies the undesirability of the western democratic system to the Chinese and the genuine conviction in China that the US system is flawed.... In a country where there is no free media or free flow of information, independent public opinion is a myth, if not an illusion. Since the information about US elections and US-China relations is processed and provided by the state and the Chinese public, including the youth, do not have an alternative source of information, their views have indeed become more pro-Beijing, patriotic and hawkish.?...

Full post as published by Althouse on October 26, 2020 (boomark / email).