Commentary
I finished writing “China Coup: The Great Leap to Freedom” in December 2019, except for a COVID-19 chapter, added later. What major changes would I make if I were writing the book now?
In the book, I recalled a warning given by President Richard Nixon in 1967, “the world cannot be safe until China changes,” and I argued that his warning had taken on a new urgency. Since then, Xi Jinping has led the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in extending its grip over all aspects of society. His readiness to return to the methods and strategies of Mao Zedong has become clearer. The genocide in Xinjiang and the crushing of freedom in Hong Kong have demonstrated the regime’s utter disregard for civilized norms. The threats to use force to seize control of Taiwan have multiplied, and the timescale for doing so has been shortened. The Party’s ambition to dominate the world is more brazen….