Watch it on the NIICE Nepal YouTube channel

EVENT REPORT

On Thursday, June 22nd 2023, a webinar titled ‘China's Rise and its Implications for Global Freedom’ was conducted by the Nepal Institute for International Cooperation and Engagement (NIICE).

The event was led by Dr. Pramod Jaiswal. He is the research director at NIICE. Meanwhile Dr. Larry Diamond was the keynote speaker at this webinar. He is the senior fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and Mosbacher Senior Fellow in Global Democracy at Stanford's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI).

Professor Larry Diamond navigates his remarks by asserting that, ‘Sharp power thrives in the absence of transparency and accountability. Simultaneously, acute power creates interdependencies, exerts influence, poses threats, and employs strategic manoeuvres to maintain control.’

Dr. Larry Diamond classified China as a neo-totalitarian regime. During his address, he made it clear that the People’s Republic of China is a neo-totalitarian state. Where politics are changing, some painfully and needlessly. For instance, the Communist Party of China obsesses over controlling politics, ideologies, society, and technology.

He points out that the primary objective of the Communist Party is to maintain its exclusive control over power, exercising total dominance, and any potential threats to the existing order are strictly prohibited. China is undergoing modernization and experiencing significant economic growth, leading to increased wealth and social complexity.

He further explained that the communist regime exercises control and surveillance over the entire populace in China. He indicated that it has finally achieved stability. The loss of individual privacy is significant, while the capacity and control are greatly enhanced, including the ability to halt transactions. Alternatively, the capacity to penalize individuals for their financial transactions. The state can now monitor firms and individuals. Their finances, strategies, and relationships. It could eventually challenge the US dollar’s dominance in global trade and banking. If fair competition causes such an event, the US will have to improve its competitiveness. If force, intimidation, and freedom deprivation are involved, the situation is worse.

Larry Diamond expressed his concern by stating, ‘China is the dominant global force.’ At present, it can be defined as a direct rival or a close rival of the United States. Both countries, as prominent global players, are actively working to enhance their global power and influence. China has implemented strict limitations on freedom in Hong Kong and is actively bolstering its military capabilities in order to challenge the United States' position in Asia and establish dominance for the People's Republic of China (PRC). China's ultimate goal is to take control of Taiwan, a flourishing democracy that emerged during the third wave of democratization.

He also addressed social credit scores, digital currencies, mass surveillance, Taiwan, Uyghur re-education centres, the South China Sea, and global hegemony.

During the concluding session, when asked a question, Professor Lary Diamond conveyed his viewpoint by commenting, ‘Who wants to stay in a China where you risk losing everything you build and your freedom?’

He reiterated that a substantial number of individuals are fleeing to other countries. Most people are opting to relocate their children abroad due to their extreme dislike of living under such a system. This crisis is expected to cause substantial economic consequences in China.

Prepared by Md Belal Hossen, NIICE Intern