Commentary
The following essay is an excerpt adapted from Yeonmi Park’s new book, “While Time Remains: A North Korean Defector’s Search for Freedom in America” (Threshold, Simon & Schuster).
The Chinese economic growth miracle of the last two decades is, without a doubt, one of the most impressive and consequential developments in modern international history. Nicknamed “the red dragon,” contemporary China has become either the biggest or second-biggest power in global trade and commerce. It is at the forefront of science and technology. It is the global leader in payments, online retail, and infrastructure like high-speed rail, and will likely soon dominate consumer electronics. It also has a plausible chance of winning the race for predominance in artificial intelligence and quantum computing, which would certainly help buttress its skyrocketing military power. Chinese defense spending in 2021 totaled about $240 billion, second only to the United States, and its active military force—over two million—is the largest in history….