Liu Yunshan, the current ideological and propaganda chief of the Communist Party of China, gave a speech at the party school in Beijing in 2008 in which he complained about the international press that China was receiving as it built up to hosting the Olympic games. Far from being a global celebration of the good and fine things that had been achieved in his country since 1978 when reforms started, the outside world had chosen to carp: over the role of Chinese investment in Africa, the situation in Tibet, even the fractious journey of the "flame" as it made its way across the world.
Liu drew a stark conclusion. For years, leaders and officials in the outside world had complained that their Chinese counterparts were unwilling to spell out a vision for the country and its global role. They had urged further reforms and changes upon China. They had wanted to see a country more like their own, with capitalism, openness and variety. Well, Liu said, isn’t this what they have now? Today's China has sent over a million of its young to study abroad, accepted vast amounts of foreign investment, and opened up almost the whole of its country to visitors and business. In fact, the country is so plugged into the outside world that it was now hosting an event like the Olympics. What, therefore, was the problem now: why the chorus of criticisms and moans?
Liu then delivered the punchline of his diagnosis. The problem was not in China. Nor was it about China’s message. The simple fact was that a sizeable part of the outside world, particularly in the United States, would reject China no matter what it did. There was no point carrying on pretending these people’s minds could be changed. The key thing was to remorselessly promote China’s self-image, whether the world beyond its borders cared to listen or not. The message needed no change. The problem was the minds of the people outside.
