Many people see the Chinese govt's deficiencies as a result of "evil". I don't really subscribe to that. I think it has more to do with "incompetence". Building a large organization, with the right culture, is *hard*.

Discussion thread in the referenced tweet, as well as below https://twitter.com/gonglei89/status/1299523508716806144

2/ China had to do it from scratch. In other words, even now, 40 years after Deng's opening up, they're still figuring out what "good governance" is. The "building from scratch" can't be underestimated: due to the Opium Wars, WW2 and Cultural Revolution, there was a 100 years gap

3/ By the time we reach the modern era, there was nobody around who really has a good idea of, and experience with, what good governance means for a Chinese population.

What I say here is not merely an intellectual exercise. It has practical implications:

4/ Western audiences think the issues with the Chinese govt can be resolved by overthrowing the CCP. But if many issues arise from incompetence rather than malice, then an overthrow is counterproductive to the overall well-being of society.

5/ Yeah maybe in a new regime prople can vote, but you also destroy all the organizational knowledge that had built up so far, and you have to start all over again. Was Yeltsin Russia really better?

6/ If we accept incompetence, not malice, as premise, then the logical path forward is more cooperation, knowledge sharing and co-development, on the topic of good governance. Not sanctions, war, or instigating revolutions.

7/ One obstacle is the lack of desire to understand China, on part of western audiences. Most people cannot let go of the idea of malice. Despite admitting that they don't know too much about China, they are convinced that the premise of malice, and nothing else, is correct.

8/ This is why I tweet. My point isn't to defend China. It's to promote better understanding. So that issues can be tackled better. The current western understanding of China results in nonsensical policies, to the detriment of the entire world.

9/ Another obstacle is that the west may not have a good idea of why they have "good"(-ish) governance. They tend to attribute it to democracy. But I find this to be a far too simplistic explanation. The US tried to forcefully plant democracy in the middle east. Did that pan out?

10/ There is much more to it than just 1the method of electing the government. Good governance is a culture. Which takes time and experience to develop. And a population that understands it.

11/ Unfortunately, I think many people in the west fail to understand that their good governance is, in large part, due to a long history of good governance. Good experience and culture get passed down. Society here is built on the shoulders good ancestors. Not just democracy.