Sowing Doubt About China - But At What Cost?
January 17, 2025
On December 27 2021 I mocked headlines and pieces which reported on China's achievements but questioned the cost:
When China Does Great Question Its Cost
There seem to be general meme directives for 'western' outlets with regards to official enemies.
Russia is said to weaponize everything. The position of China is not (yet) seen as in military terms. The emphasis is on economic competition. Any undeniable Chinese achievement must be declared to have been a bad investment. The directive thus reads:
"When writing about China's achievements - question their purported cost."
The results:
- Global Markets – 1st quarter 2007 : China powers ahead – but at what cost?
- Fin Law, Feb 09, 2007- China pumps up the Cambodian economy, but at what cost?
- Taipei Times Apr 07 2011- ...
The list, which included 43 headlines, ended with these:
- ...
- China is now controlling the weather. What’s the environmental cost?
- Euronews, Dec 9 2021- Ultra-leftist voices are making themselves heard in China, but at what cost?
- SCMP, Dec 24 2021
Time has past but the directive to always question China's cost is still in place. Here are a few, new and additional, entries:
- At What Cost Stealth?
The biggest obstacle to China developing a fleet of stealth J-20 fighters could be the cost of producing them.
- The Diplomat, Jan 31 2011 - Clean Air at What Cost? The Rise of Blunt Force Pollution Regulation in China
- Semantic Scholar, 2017
- China freezes highway tolls to boost economy but move comes at a cost
- Nikkei Asia, Feb 21 2020 - The Chinese Sports Machine’s Single Goal: The Most Golds, at Any Cost
- New York Times, Aug 8 2021 - China is dominant at the Olympics, but at what cost?
- Simply Sport, Dec 9 2021 - China Provided Abundant Snow for the Winter Olympics, but at What Cost to the Environment?
- Inside Climate News, Feb 20 2022 - Language barriers: some Hong Kong restaurants still cite Covid-19 in turning away Mandarin speakers – but at what cost?
- SCMP, Mar 28 2022 - Shein is the new darling of China's fast fashion industry — but at what cost?
- ABC.au, Apr 4 2022 - China has avoided the grim US Covid toll. But at what cost?
- Hongkong Post, Jun 5 2022 - New deepfake regulations in China are a tool for social stability, but at what cost?
- nature machine intelligence, Jul 20 2022 - China: A faster reopening—but at what cost?
- Unravel, Jan 17 2023 - Chinese tourism could boost global economy, but at what cost?
- Deccan Herald, Jan 18 2023 - China’s wind industrial policy “succeeded” – but at what cost?
- Atlantic Council, May 1 2023
In 2023 The Deprogram / Radio Free Amanda mocked the scheme in a podcast: Episode 64 - China Episode - But At What Cost? - Feb 3 2023
The Chinese influencer Li Jingjing also chipped in: "China Expert" 101: Add "BUT AT WHAT COST" to turn any positive thing China did into a negative - Jul 28 2023
In late 2023 China's official Global Times added this:
It did not help. The meme continues:
- Is China's economy in serious trouble? | Counting the Cost
- Al Jazeerah English, Feb 4 2024 - Road salt: Protecting China’s drivers, but at what cost?
- Dialogue Earth, Feb 6 2024 - China Keeps Building Stadiums in Africa. But at What Cost?
- New York Times, Feb 10 2024 - The world wants China’s 290kmh trains – but at what cost?
- Chatham House, Mar 21 2024 - Commerce at What Cost? Investigating Temu’s Problematic Business Model and Controversies in the West
- Berkley Economic Review, Apr 26 2024 - Clean air at what cost? The rise of Blunt Force Regulation in China
- Environmental Politics, Jun 23 2024 - China in Peru: The Unspoken Costs of an Unequal Relationship
- U.S. Institute of Peace, Jul 2024 - China’s plan to save the economy comes at a cost to factories
- Business Times, Jul 11 2024 - Thailand’s EV Incentives: Boosting Chinese Investment, but at What Cost to Local Workers?
- China Global South, Oct 10 2024 - In China, AI is taking Internet advertising by storm – but at what cost?
- Business Times, Nov 3 2024 - Many Ways to Fail: The Costs to China of an Unsuccessful Taiwan Invasion
- U.S. Institute of Peace, Nov 5 2024 - UK leader cozies up to China, but at what cost?
- MSN / The Daily Digest, Nov 26 2024 - Macao’s casino boom brings wealth but at a cost, 25 years since China’s takeover
- AP, Dec 19 2024 - Cheap but costly: As Chinese exports enter Southeast Asia, countries pay an uneven price
- Channel News Asia, Jan 14 2025 - An initiative so feared that China has stopped saying its name
“Made in China 2025” has been a success, but at what cost?
- Economist, Jan 16 2025
If you made it to here you will have noticed that the list has by now a total of 70 headlines which (roughly) follow a similar scheme.
The 'question the cost' with regards to China is not the only directive followed by 'western' media. Just consider How Russia, And Putin, Are Weaponizing, Losing And Running Out Of ... Everything.
All such schemes are signs that The Mighty Wurlitzer is still well and alive.
Posted by b on January 17, 2025 at 11:21 UTC | Permalink