By Emily Van Kirk
In mid-October, the New York Times published an article titled “For China’s Leaders, U.S. Election Scandals Make the Case for One-Party Rule.” It claimed that “The Chinese state news media has already declared a winner in the scandal-stained race for the White House: one-party dictatorship.”
The article describes the experiences of some Chinese people who feel disenchanted with the American political system and others who “think the American political system is actually great.” Skeptics of the American political system in China feel that this election cycle has highlighted the shortcomings of democracy, exposing American politicians as “puppets of wealthy elites,” which is interesting in the context of Donald Trump’s win. A billionaire business mogul managed to secure the votes of millions of the working class. This particular assumption could hold some degree of weight.
But China has its own problems with corruption — the article points out the recent case of a Chinese government official, a former Communist Party chief of Yunnan Province, possessing roughly $37 million in unexplained wealth, leading to his impending government-mandated execution.
As observed by a Chinese proponent of the American system, interest-driven policymaking is not exclusive to the U.S., “If you look at Chinese politics, you can find many of the same type of people. What type is that? Rich people who feel like they can get away with anything.” This is one sentiment that seems to permeate any economic system.
This election was stained with talk of “nasty woman,” “crooked Hillary Clinton,” and “unenlightened despotism.” Americans cannot let the result of the election distract from the necessary unity that comes from being a nation of Americans. A separate New York Times article points out the correlation between a pessimistic, misguided view of American politics in China and the growing popularity of the Netflix original series “House of Cards.”
Despite dark visions of the American system, a Canadian publication points out that “Americans get to choose their leaders, even if the process is fraught with problems and occasionally risible. Everyday Chinese do not.”
In response to the election results, President Obama addressed the nation, stressing the reality that we are all Americans and therefore are all on the same team. In order to avoid Chinese conclusions that their system of governance is superior, it will be important that Americans continue working together to maintain our democratic values.
The votes have been cast and the results are in, but a Trump presidency does not have to spell out division and disunity but rather, a future that makes America stronger together. After all, nearly half of the population did vote for this, and America is not what “House of Cards” dictates.