When politicians are soothed by talk of Australia-China friendship, maybe we should remind them of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, when China used propaganda to drive public opinion in favour of closer relations with Japan, the US and Australia respectively, only to change course later on.
While diplomatic relations are manipulated to achieve the CCP’s goals, even more so are the masses. This week’s military parade was a hit of dopamine and adrenaline for China’s have-nots. The parade, at huge cost, is intended to grow pride, gung-ho nationalism and, more alarmingly, feelings of superiority and legitimacy in aggression. There is a cutting analogy on Zhihu, China’s version of Quora, of pigs outside an abattoir celebrating the arrival of new equipment.
Military personnel take part in a military parade to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII. Credit: AP
Less visible is the reaction from China’s haves, the better educated. On discussion platforms people called out the irony of cozying up to Russia, which has taken more land from China than any other country. People criticised the parade’s expense and the military growth given how “peace-loving” China claims to be. People mocked China for being in bed with robbers and rapists.
This military parade is a clear announcement of who you stand with and get behind. Xi loves playing the role of a feudal emperor from the time when China was named “the central kingdom”, accepting tributes from surrounding small nations and granting them gifts.
Symbolism matters. Andrews’ presence and that of other former politicians says China can win support from the West. China’s parade of advanced weaponry is impressive, but more alarming is its covert arsenal – charm offensives, narrative warfare and transnational influence.
It’s become fashionable to praise China because of the US’s lapses in global responsibility, but you can criticise both, and you should use equal standards to judge. China’s opaque system, the gulf of language and the constant quashing of dissent mean we are only privy to the sanitised image.
The reality is that to even show a message denouncing the CCP is complicated, costly and dangerous. A brave man, Qi Hong, remotely operated a projector that beamed anti-CCP messages on a building in south-west China. He set up the operation and then escaped to the UK with his family, but now his extended relatives are being harassed.
Compare that to our former state premier who braved ridicule for personal gain. Where will Dan Andrews or others like him be when missiles fly and tanks roll?
Cheng Lei is a China-born Australian journalist. She is the author of Cheng Lei: A Memoir of Freedom.
