On this episode of China Uncensored,
"I love China!"
Hi, welcome to China Uncensored.
I'm your host, Chris Chappell.
Presidential hopeful Donald Trump has a special relationship with China.
"I love the Chinese people."
And they love him back...
"People from China, they love me."
"What do the Chinese most want?
One of the 10 things:
Anything Trump.
Sort of like how,
when I was in middle school,
I loved Connie Cody and she loved me back.
I mean, she once called me Chad,
which is...pretty close to Chris.
This is what happened last fall,
when a CBS reporter in Beijing asked for people's opinions on Trump.
"Jeb Bush?"
"No, this is not Jeb Bush.
But while it's too late for me and Connie,
Trump got a second chance with China.
Here's CBS again, earlier this week.
"Do you know this man?"
"Trump."
"A little bit crazy."
I guess they know who he is now.
And let's just say,
much like in the US,
opinions of him in China vary.
Some admire Trump's outspokenness and persona.
Wait, Trump isn't polarizing?
I thought that's why everyone spends so much time talking about him.
Including me, apparently.
Anyway, there are also some negative nellys out there.
In a country that doesn't have national elections,
many Chinese are paying close attention to the US presidential race.
And according to Quartz,
some prefer Trump to Hillary Clinton because they believe Clinton would be tougher on China.
After all, Trump did say this about the Tiananmen Square massacre...
"That is a strong powerful government that put it down with strength.
They kept down the riot."
Wait, riot?
Is that what we're calling a gathering of unarmed protesters now?
Wow, I guess I narrowly escaped death in Hong Kong.
Anyway, after Trump's comments,
a bunch of Chinese human rights lawyers released this open letter.
They criticized Trump for his
"envy of the brutal regime that caused such a horrific massacre."
What do Chinese state-run media say about Trump?
Earlier this month,
several media published this slideshow called
"The Erratic Trump is actually a winner in life,"
which started off by calling Trump a "fuerdai".
That's slang for "second-generation rich",
the offspring of Communist Party leaders and other wealthy elite
who are pretty hated in China.
As Bloomberg puts it,
fuerdai are seen as more tasteless versions of Paris Hilton.
That's a low blow.
But not the worst.
Who else is criticizing Trump,
without the slightest hint of irony?
Why it's my favorite state-run media, Global Times!
Yes, Chinese media is calling Donald Trump,
"A racist and extremist," "Big-mouthed," and "anti-traditional?"
Wait, the CCP
the ones who did this
are using "anti-traditional" as a slur?
But anyway, don't get me wrong.
The Communist Party doesn't actually hate Donald Trump.
They love Trump.
In the same very specific way Trump loves China.
"I love China!"
"China is ripping us on trade,
they're devaluing their currency,
and they're killing our companies."
Trump loves China,
because China is the perfect boogeyman in US election politics.
Likewise, for Chinese media,
Trump is the perfect way to attack the evil American boogeyman:
democracy.
For years, the Communist Party has taken the line that
Chinese people simply aren't ready for democracy.
Which is why they should be under an authoritarian rule instead.
And now, the Communist Party is using Trump to make their point.
They highlight fistfights at Trump rallies as proof
that democracy is chaotic, messy, and sometimes even violent.
And that's un-good.
Which is why you need the strong hand of big brother
to choose the leaders of your loving government for you.
And, as the Global Times points out,
"Mussolini and Hitler came to power through elections."
Which is a good example of how Chinese state-run media twist facts
because Hitler was never actually elected.
But anyway, Nazis are bad and the Communist Party is good.
So there.
Plus, why bother with democracy when it doesn't even work?
So really, all you Chinese democracy advocates out there
just don't know what you're talking about.
You should be in prison for stirring up trouble!
Ahhh, everything's as it should be.
So in many ways, Trump's presidential run is a huge boon to the Chinese Communist Party.
They use him, and the chaos of this US election cycle,
as proof that grass isn't really greener on the other side.
And considering China's pollution, that's saying something.
So now that you know what Chinese media and the Chinese people are saying about Trump,
wouldn't you like to know what the rest of the world thinks, too?
Check out this video from our friends over at TestTube News.
"Russian President Vladimir Putin has said of the candidate
that he is 'a brilliant and talented person,'
and that 'he is the absolute leader in the presidential race.'"
So what do you think of China's take on Trump's presidential run?
I look forward to reading your thoughtful, completely civil discourse below.
Once again, I'm Chris Chappell. See you next time.