Guest Column Raises Concerns About China
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By Bill Hoagland
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) affords guest columnists the opportunity to have their opinions read by world-wide subscribers. In the Aug.14-15 weekend edition of the WSJ, a guest column was published that really caught my attention. The headline of that column suggested that there is now a dictatorship in Communist China that poses a threat to the Chinese people and, accordingly, to the world.
The article was specifically addressing Xi Jinping’s astonishing rise in power and influence within China since 2013 and how his actions and objectives should be a concern for all of us. By way of historical background, the writer of this column stated that unlike his recent predecessors, such as Deng Xiaoping, Xi never received a proper education, never lived abroad and never learned a foreign language. In other words, he is dangerously focused only on China. Yet he is determined to not only make China the ultimate world leader but to also create a life-long dictatorship for himself in this process. The columnist cites as an example of Xi’s tactics the fact that the Standing Committee of the Politburo must now repeat after him an oath of loyalty to the party and to him personally.
And unlike his predecessors, Xi openly believes that the People’s Republic of China, in order to achieve world dominance, must embrace Leninism, meaning that if necessary, it must use its political and military power—including violence– to impose its will on the rest of the world. This guest columnist notes that the relationship between China and the US is “rapidly deteriorating and may lead to war”. He concludes by saying: “I consider Mr. Xi the most dangerous enemy of open societies in the world”.
None of this comes as a surprise to those of us who have paid attention to China’s behavior over the years and in particular since 2013, when Xi was first elected President of the People’s Republic of China.
But here is what comes as a surprise: this WSJ column was written by George Soros. If that doesn’t get your attention, I don’t know what will.
Bill Hoagland has practiced law in Alton for more than 50 years, but he has spent more than 70 years hunting, fishing and generally being in the great outdoors. His wife, Annie, shares his love of the outdoor life. Much of their spare time is spent on their farm in Calhoun County. Bill can be reached at billhoagland70@gmail.com.
