The World according to China | VPRO Documentary

Over the next 20 years, the center of gravity of the world economy will shift to the Indo-Pacific region, the countries around the Indian and Pacific Oceans. What will the world look like if China is soon the world economic leader?

We seem to be at a turning point in our history. While one superpower, Russia, is showing its true dictatorial face with the invasion of Ukraine, the other superpower, China, is also taking an increasingly clear position. According to forecasts, this country, with its 1.4 billion inhabitants, will overtake the US as a world economic power sometime in the next 20 years.

Will we then fall back into a cold war mindset where two rival superpowers face each other as arch-enemies? Or will we move toward a multipolar world, where we will have to share power in the world?

Broadcast date: April 04, 2022

Directed by Shuchen Tan
Research: William de Bruijn
Production: Regina Rijpkema
Final editing: Doke Romeijn & Geert Rozinga

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[cpliu]

I'm from Taiwan. I support unification with China. No matter how the western media tries to portray, "Taiwanese" share the same culture, language, etc., as Chinese in China. (BTW, did you know we have ~half of the 5000-year Chinese treasures in Taiwan that we moved from China during the Chinese Civil War in 1949?) 98% of the people came from China. We're destined to be one country no matter how the West tries to stop it.

[bobmorane]

The most interesting sentence was even if people in Catalonia wanted to separate and voted in a referendum twice successfully to separate from Spain, this was not allowed with the approval of EU !!!! So what was good for the gander isn't good for the goose !!!! Why would Taiwan be any different from Catalonia ? US ready to go to war over Taiwan but won't budge about catalonians !!! Give me a break. Taiwan is just an excuse for the US to extend its hegemony !!! The West has no credibility on this issue.

[george]

I am so glad that the Russian and Chinese are coming together as good friends, they have so much to cooperate with each other,

[ahjotco]

Taiwan's language is Chinese. Taiwan's culture is Chinese culture. Taiwan's ethnicity is Chinese. The only different is the minds of Taiwanese twisted by the West.

[Lisa-vjpz]

People can say whatever they want about China... my dad... Told me back in the 70s... Back in the '80s.... Never mind China is who we are going to have to worry I believe that reason to be Chinese are very resourceful and they have a very good work ethic.... And they are When you think about ancient China

[hyme]

What Xi said is right and I feel the same too from US. If Taiwan Chinese says they are not Chinese, then it is time to take back Taiwan province since it's been occupied by non-Chinese. Also, it is true that with every year going forward, the Taiwan Chinese will lose their identity more. Anyway, one way or another, China will get Taiwan back to where it belong.

[billlee]

This documentary is less biased than BBC, CNN, or Fox news. But it doesn't have the direct voice from a regular Chinese in mainland China. Ordinary Chinese especially young generations are very supportive of their current central government, and they are more proud of current China's achievement than any generations before. They are like the Americans in the 80s when the US is at the peak in the world. Also, this documentary doesn't have voice from Taiwanese who are pro-China.

[learnerm]

I like this guy. He speaks my language. Chinese people are experts at suffering. American people are used to partying. Life is not about partying. It is about eating bitterness. He brings a dose of reality to what is really going on. .

[rabbitazteca]

Seeing Putin with Xi enjoying their time together makes me happy. I'm Learning Russian next😍😍

[madsam]

Why was that woman who does not regard herself as Chinese, speaking in mandarin? I don’t think she can speak on behalf of Taiwan, she looks like a bohemian artist, not a typical Taiwanese. Most Taiwanese still see themselves as ethnically Chinese, and as they aged, they value their roots, their cultures and traditions more.

[wasimshaikh]

To be honest I didn't expect this documentary to be balanced, but I was wrong. It shows perspective of both sides. It's not Chinese or Western propaganda. It's rare thing to see on YouTube these days. Thank you for the upload.

[ralphzoombeenie]

Twenty years ago the demand for independence in Taiwan was far less an issue, they were growing closer naturally with trade, family connection and tourism. Since then the pro-independence faction have been spreading their agenda encouraged by the US without the best interests of the people of Taiwan.
The US pretense of spreading democracy and freedom is false. The US has been a plutocracy for decades, the American people's demands are rarely supported; it is by the 1% for the 1%. The results of the US spreading "freedom and democracy" can be clearly seen in the ME and Central America.
The US is just another hegemonic Empire with no honest values, Asian people should look at their history with western Empires and the young people of Taiwan should not forget 228 and the 39yrs of White Terror resulting from US interference.
For The US, Taiwan is seen as just another addition to 800+ military bases from which to "contain and threaten " China.

[beezibee]

Uighur are not mistreated nor discriminated in China. Individuals can believe whatever religion they choose. Religion is not important in China as long as you practise yours in private.

[glwufsh]

For thousands of years before 1800 ; prior to European and American ruthless imperialism overseas, China was a prosperous country and non- Western was relatively peaceful.
History reminds us that the West has no moral right to speak about human rights to the Chinese for the atrocities committed against the Chinese by the British and Allied forces in the two Opium Wars (1839 - 1842, 1856- 1860) and in 1900 respectively.
China's rejuvenation is restoring its geopolitical and geoeconomics positions back to where it was before the opium trafficking, Western military forces killed, plundered, looted, divided and destroyed peace on Earth.

[cc_fffknow]

Actually china has never change their policy to Taiwan for 30 years, China will try our best to avoid civil war with Taiwan if Taiwan not to cross a red line

[audreywoo]

I have been living in western countries for 40 years after left China. I would say many western countries including people like me living in western countries for a long time and people from Taiwan have mis-perception of what happened in China. They only see one side of China but forgot all the progress that China made such as lifting up so many people from poverty. The commitment and resources that the government made to improve those disadvantage group of population and focus on internal affairs of improving their people’s living standards are far more than any western countries did. In general, the people are happier and support their government than any of western countries as we don’t trust politicians in general. So the western media is very one sided!

[barrywong]

I find this presentation objectionable, as follows:

1. The young lady from Taiwan is articulate. She makes the case that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have drifted apart in culture, tradition and value system over the decades. As such, the Chinese people in Taiwan no longer regard themselves as Chinese, rather, as separate people independent from China. This argument is ludicrous. The Chinese civilization goes back at least 4, 000 years. A few decades is a blip in the continuum. In 221 BC, the Qin emperor conquered 6 other feudal states and united China as one people sharing a common government and civilization. Over 2 millennia, the Chinese people have stuck together through thick and thin. All Chinese should be proud of our enduring unity. Unity and harmony are in the DNA of the Chinese people. In contrast, conflicts, chaos and divisiveness are in the DNA of peoples in the west.

2. Taiwan's estrangement from China is a direct result of the turmoil pressed upon China by the imperial and colonial powers from the west and Japan from mid 18th century to mid 20th century. The last thing we need now is for the west to weigh in on how China should resolve this estrangement. It's akin to setting your neighbor's house on fire and then lecturing them on how they should put out the fire. Lordy, lordy! Some folks just know no shame.

3. Have you ever wondered why we don't see think-tanks and journalists from China weighing in on the merits of the Catalonian independence movement, the Quebec sovereignty movement or Scottish independence? That's because China respects other countries' rights to deal with their internal affairs. It's none of China's business. And, China does not pretend to own the best ideas and values that others must follow. Why can't the west extend the same respect and reciprocate? Clearly, the west has problems aplenty, perhaps they should work on those instead of sticking their noses into other countries' affairs.

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how many of these videos are propagated in the media, and what these "experts" espouse, it won't change China's instinct, yearning and aspiration to unify the county one iota.

[nick-swin]

Kishore mahbubani is always a pleasure to hear

[peckho]

If, for example, Californians decided to secede because the people did not like the way USA was governed, what would the US government do? Would it allow an independent nation of California? Suppose China or Russia decided to support and protect California?
There is no question that the island of Taiwan is part of China. If the people of Taiwan do not like the authoritarian government of China, they can migrate, just as Chinese from the mainland have done. Californians who do want to live under the US government can also migrate, but the land of California will remain as part of the USA. So, why should USA be involved in the domestic affairs of China? Do we want to repeat another Vietnam fiasco?

[shoilee]

Most Western media capture China’s economic rise by showing images of Shenzhen, Shanghai, as these images despite capitalism as perceive by the West. These images cannot capture the merits of the land reform and there implication to city planning, to high speed train development, to highway development, to containing port development, to canal development. They have not captured the most important element in economic development, which is the human capital development. This is more than just education. It is also about more freedom on career development. It is also about exposure. It is also about experience.
When Shenzhen was first declared as a special economic zone 40 years ago, there were only 6 persons in Shenzhen had had a university education. Today you can easily find more than 6 persons in an average cafe in Shenzhen with a doctoral degree. This cannot easily be captured by visual images.
The goal of US military since Pearl Harbor is to take wars outside US territory. China consider Taiwan as part of China. If China has to go to war, she would also want to take war to outside China’s territory. So think hard about it. Don‘r take things too far.