China’s Dissidents: Heroes or Traitors?

Benjamin Lai is an expert on the modern Chinese military and the author of The Dragon’s Teeth. In light of Liu Xiaobo’s recent death, here he discusses the merits of other Chinese dissidents. The opinions expressed in this article are Benjamin Lai’s and not of Casemate Publishers.

 

In the last two weeks, the Guardian has been running features on the late Nobel Laureate Liu Xiao-bo. Liu was granted medical parole after being diagnosed with terminal liver cancer and passed away on the 13^th of July. Since his parole, the Guardian, the BBC and several key Western media outlets including the New York Times and the Washington Post have been highlighting Liu’s plight. Liu is known to the Western world as a human rights activist and champion for democracy. In short, Liu was a hero. Why did China lock up this man of peace when Liu was only championing for democratic reform and human rights? What’s wrong with that?

Let’s hear from the other side of the argument. There is a dark side to Liu, a side rarely heard in the Western media. China accuses Liu of being a hypocrite, a traitor who shamelessly took money from foreign powers to ferment revolution and overthrow the government. Liu has never shied from advocating his total support for war and regime change in the name of human rights and democracy. He is a cheerleader for George Bush’s brand of international diplomacy: ‘If you are not with me you must be against me.’ His version of modernization for China is a return to the 19^th Century. According to Liu, his cure for China’s ills is ‘a minimum of 300 years of Western colonialism’. This is nothing more than an open call for a revolt, a call for foreign subjugation and loss of national sovereignty which no government could tolerate. To put it simply, this is plain treason. Furthermore, Liu has openly colluded with foreign agents in the pursuit of his declared objectives. Liu’s NGOs (PEN centre, Democratic China Magazine) have for years failed to report to authorities. For example, they never reported he took money from overseas agents, including the notorious NED (National Endowment for Democracy) to destabilise China. If Liu was an American and directed the same actions against the US Government, Liu would find himself in violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act which could land you in jail for 25 years!

Being a dissident is a risky business, but if you play your cards right, it can become a career. Another prominent Chinese dissident is Ai Wei-wei. Since 2008, Ai had transformed from being a struggling artist on the fringe of the art world to one of its main attractions. He is one of the new breed of exile dissident avant-garde artists, propelled into stardom through nurturing their status as critics-in-chief of the Chinese government. Ai’s willingness to break out of the box in the traditional art scene led him to prominence and a growing fan base. He thrives on contrivances, using PR and media attention to increase his celebrity.

In 2011, I had the opportunity to spend time with a group of Beijing-based contemporary artists, many of whom know Ai and his family personally. During that discussion, many of Ai’s fellow artists claimed that Ai’s fame is based on his stance as an all-season anti-China campaigner and this side of his life has long since eclipsed that of Ai the artist. There were others who said much harsher words, denouncing him as a charlatan, a failed artist who milked social issues. One such stunt was posting a list of the names of the children who died in the Sichuan earthquake on a wall for his own gain and to increase his fame. Does a list of names and posting inkjet prints of his MRI brain scan count as a work of art?

For years Ai Wei-wei was living under the shadow of his older half-brother Ai-Xuan, himself also a prominent artist in China. Ai Xuan is famous for his oil and water ink paintings of Tibetans. His painting is much sought after in China and regularly commands a selling price of over $2 million at auctions. Some artists described Ai Wei-wei’s antics as merely trying to one-up his half-brother Ai Xuan.

In my opinion, both Liu Xiao-bo and Ai Wei-wei have failed to understand how to get things done in China. To see change, especially in Governmental policy, one must never be confrontational and try to shame the authorities into adopting change. It only makes the other side dig their heels in more. Furthermore, by colluding with foreign powers to fight for their objectives (even if it is for social advancement or human rights) is a giant backward step for their objectives. Probably as a consequence of activists like Liu, Ai and many others, foreign NGOs operating in China will now no longer be able to receive funds and grants from overseas, making it more difficult for organisations like NED to operate in China.

 

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