Trump adviser Matthew Pottinger takes soft approach to promoting democracy in China on May Fourth Movement anniversary
- Pottinger argues that China does best when it listens to the diverse opinions of its average citizens
- His remarks echo an approach in China that uses history to criticise leaders; Monday marks the 101st anniversary of iconic student protests on May 4, 1919
Deputy National Security Adviser Matthew Pottinger, a Beijing correspondent for seven years during the 1990s and early 2000s with the The Wall Street Journal and Reuters, delivered his speech to the University of Virginia in Mandarin, itself a rarity.
Drawing on Monday’s 101st anniversary of iconic student protests on May 4, 1919, Pottinger argued that China does best when it listens to the diverse opinions of its laobaixing, or average citizens. The speech was not meant to be prescriptive, he said, added that the nation’s future is ultimately up to the Chinese people.
“A healthy society should have more than one voice. And so this is a bit of an effort to just have a conversation with friends in China,” he said in a virtual presentation from the White House, adding that China would benefit from “a little more populism, a little less nationalism”.
Pottinger’s remarks echo an approach sometimes followed by Chinese when criticising their leaders: use Chinese history, anniversaries and the actions of past heroes to make your point rather than hitting your audience over the head.