How can the West better understand China? Professor Beat Schneider

Beat Schneider, Emeritus Professor at Bern University of Arts, recently published his new book ‘China’s Long March to Modernity: From a non-Eurocentric Perspective ’( ‘Chinas langer Marsch in die Moderne: Zwanzig nicht-eurozentristische Thesen’). It interprets China’s development beyond the Western-centric view and reveals the cause of misconceptions about China in the West.

Is ‘Eurocentrism’ a universal phenomenon? Why is China’s peaceful development a historical necessity? Recently, Beat Schneider gave an exclusive interview to East Meets West to discuss these topics.

CNS Reporter: Recently, your newly published book ‘China’s Long March to Modernity: From a non-Eurocentric Perspective’ has gained some attention. Why did you write this book?

Beat Schneider: For almost four decades, I have been studying ancient and modern China as a cultural historian. Thus, I feel worried that the West’s perception of China does not match China’s prominent role in world politics today. Westerners, including some intellectuals and political elites, are generally ignorant about China while the Chinese know more about the West, leading to so-called ‘asymmetry in perception.’ This encouraged me to write a book about China to contribute to improving the West’s understanding of China.

CNS Reporter: What issues do you cover in the book?

Beat Schneider: The book discusses why China's 5000-year history is one of the greatest historical phenomena. What does Chinese culture look like? How did China liberate itself from colonialism and emerge as an economic powerhouse as a developing country? What is socialism with Chinese characteristics and the Chinese Dream? Are the accusations from the West in relation to digital surveillance, Covid-19 pandemic prevention and control policies reasonable? Who is the threatening factor - China or the West? Will aggressive moves from the US lead to actual war?

The answers to these questions come from a non-Eurocentric perspective. They are based on historical facts, observations, critical scientific theories, and more than 1,000 sources.

Children from Changxin County, Zhejiang Province are flying kites in the field during Spring. Photo by Wu Zheng.

For example, the book points out that the Chinese government implemented a ‘dynamic zero Covid policy’ after the Covid-19 outbreak based on previous infectious disease prevention and control experience. Some Western countries blame such methods of Covid-19 pandemic prevention and control to be a violation of human rights. However, westerners in China who witnessed the pandemic reported that the Chinese government took measures no stricter than the lockdowns in other countries such as France and Italy. Compared with other nations, the Chinese government’s measures were more consistent, mature and well-organised. For example, millions of residents living in entire urban areas were strictly quarantined from the outside while large organisations were responsible for providing care and supplies during the lockdown.

In November 2022, community workers were delivering vegetable bags to residents in a locked down apartment in Yubei District, Chongqing due to Covid cases Photo by He Penglei.

CNS Reporter: Why does the West’s perception of China always contradict the actual truth?

Beat Schneider: First of all, traditional Western hegemons and imperial powers are arrogant. They are pursuing Eurocentrism (i.e.Western colonialism). Secondly, there is a great cultural difference between China and the West. Besides, communication channels were blocked due to attacks from the West on China.

The growing importance of China globally leads to sharper attacks on China from the U.S. The U.S. won’t tolerate any nations more powerful than its own. The West only believes ‘black and white’ philosophy instead of ‘both/and’ thought. Mutual benefit and cooperation are out of place with U.S. elites.

Chinese culture embodies the ‘both/and’ philosophy. For example, China pursues modernisation while preserving traditions. The country liberates productivity while not abstaining from managing the country. It promotes competition while having a long-term national plan. Not only does China want to innovate, but it also wants to ensure regulations are in place. This philosophy becomes a great advantage for the development of the PRC. It also constitutes an institutional advantage over the capitalist states. The West is amazed by the economic and social vitality unleashed by China because of such ideas.

We have to be clear that false portrayal of China is deliberately encouraged by the West, mainly done through propaganda. It is also very obvious that Western countries regard China as a rival in pursuit of its economic interests and hegemony. Thus, Western media is unwilling to offer objective information about China. As Westerners have little knowledge about China, it is easy to use intimidation tactics to manipulate them.

On the other side, Western people have more interest in China since China has made achievements in areas such as the economy, technology, science, culture, and diplomacy. At present, the Global Security Initiative (GSI) advocated by China is a powerful and realistic peace initiative deeply rooted in thousands of years of Chinese history and culture.

Besides, positive remarks from my book and other books about China show that my readers are getting more interested in China. These books offer objective facts. Some people believe that my book offers balanced arguments while others say that it is a realistic work on politics in response to the huge amount of anti-China propaganda from the West.　　

CNS Reporter: How should we interpret ‘Eurocentrism’? Is ‘Eurocentrism’ a universal phenomenon?

Beat Schneider: Eurocentrism refers to the consideration and evaluation of political and social systems outside Europe based on norms and values set by Europe. Such Western views on democracy, human rights, and other issues are considered universal.

‘Eurocentrism’, refers also to expansionism philosophy and world conquest, and is based on two pillars: Christian monotheism and capitalist expansion. Such views prevailed in Europe and the entire Western world, including industrialised countries in North America, Australia, and New Zealand. This phenomenon is also called ‘West-centrism’.

CNS Reporter: Do Western countries believes that China’s modernisation poses challenges to them? And how do you view the Chinese approach to modernisation?

Beat Schneider: China’s modernisation poses a great challenge to the West. China has made a ‘Long March’ toward modernisation as shown in my book title. It used to be an economic, innovation, and cultural powerhouse. Today, China has once again regained this status, reflected in the increasing impact of China and its partners on the United Nations. China’s influence and power are significant in the ‘Global South’.

CNS Reporter: What do I think of China's modernization? China, or more specifically, the CPC, has learned many modernization traits from the West without becoming Westernized. For a long period, the West wanted China to adapt to Western ways by opening up to Western capital through trade. However, it turned out that this hope would never come true, as China seemed to have overcome the pressure from opening up to some extent.

Night view in Jiulongkou wetland area in Jianghu County, Jiangsu and Huai Opera Town. Photo by He Jinghua.

The state plays an essential role in China's modernisation, which follows an integrated path. In contrast with the tenets of liberalism, the Chinese state can play a powerful role in technological innovation through its creative industrial policies. By combining its culture with knowledge, capability, and capital gained from the West, China offers a special vitality to its society, giving it an advantage over the West, especially the U.S.

It was not until the 20th century that modernisation was a phenomenon that originated and was led by the West. In Western modernisation, the economy, politics, and culture mainly spread in one direction, from Western to non-Western countries. Over the past decades, China benefited from this pattern. However, many people believed that China would embark on its own path instead of following the West in the future. The West learned from the rising China and the Asian Four Tigers (South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan) that modernisation does not need to be limited to the Western model. The dominance of Western modernisation has ended, and it will be replaced by "pluralistic modernisation."

Aerial view of the spring scenery in Liuze Village, Hainan Township, Xinghua City, Jiangsu Province. Photo by He Jinghua.

CNS Reporter: Why has China’s peaceful development been a historical necessity?

Beat Schneider: China has 5,000 years of non-stop historical development, which is one of the greatest phenomena in China.

In contrast with the 19th century colonial power in Europe, the U.S. and Japan in the 20th century, China was not an expansionist and imperialist power in its 5,000 - year - history.

For thousands of years, China’s philosophy has always been influenced by cosmopolitan views, which is ‘Tianxia’ in Chinese. Under this concept, everything under the sky belongs to all. It emphasizes harmony and unity among different ethnic groups. ‘Tianxia' unites ethnic groups while influencing neighboring countries to ‘co-exist with China under the same heaven’ instead of being oppressed or dependent.

Chinese culture embodies the ‘both/and’ philosophy. Influenced by Confucian philosophy, Chinese people are better at managing conflict than Westerners. They are taught to control their emotions, and endure extremes and contradictions to seek reconciliation and mutual benefit. To sum up, Chinese people may have biased opinions. But they are more stable, and patient while being more agile and adaptable compared to the West.

Ancient Confucian philosophy and a tradition of cooperation are core to China’s contemporary foreign policy. It considers both itself and the U.S. despite the differences in their political systems. Both countries can co-exist and cooperate to take shared responsibility for the international community. Through the Global Security Initiative, China proposes a more peaceful, inclusive, and stable development path that will benefit people globally.

Rapeseed flowers blossom on the mountain terrace in She County, Anhui Province. Photo by Zuo Xuezhang. 　

CNS Reporter: In your view, how can the West better understand China? What role shall the media play to enhance mutual understanding?

Beat Schneider: Only when Western media finally stops selective reporting and the U.S. starts to recognise China as one of the world’s powers the West’s misunderstanding towards China be corrected. It might still need some time, and the U.S. may be more aggressive until then. However, I feel confident in the long run because today’s China is more powerful economically and technologically. As a result, people will be more interested in China as shown by the strong interest of many people in my book. China should continue to develop its soft power based on Chinese history and philosophy. I believe China has the necessary patience because China is used to thinking and planning over a larger time frame.

When it comes to enhancing understanding, It is worth mentioning the Global Security Initiative again. It can be translated into languages of all nations, summarised in plain language and distributed to all media with positive comments, as well as presented at relevant institutions or conferences. This peaceful initiative will also promote the understanding of China’s policy.

Guest Profile:

Born in 1946, Beat Schneider is Emeritus Professor at the Bern University of Arts (HKB). Mr. Schneider has dedicated himself to cultural and art history research from a social and historical perspective. He is the author of numerous books and articles on the history of culture, art, and design, including some related to China, such as ‘Balancing Culture - A Brief History of Ancient Chinese Art’ and the essay ‘China is Different’ published online.