A text by Francis Lachapelle
Recently, there has been a resurgence of the theory of Yellow Peril, mainly in the form of a dragon and dragon economic ideology. On December 2 was an auspicious day. The morning in La Presse , Lysiane Gagnon in her article "The ravages of Wikileaks' is the spice in his criticism of Wikileaks by running:" You almost want to wish them, to these irresponsible minds, to live one day at a world's only superpower will be China or Russia and (...), where the dominant values are those of totalitarianism. "
lunch I get the new edition of the newspaper Les Affaires . On page 3, Michel Maziade, scientific director of Laval University, speaks of science and research in China. The reporter's question: "Should we be afraid of China?" To which Dr. Maziade replies: "Yes, we must be afraid of China." Further, while Dr. Maziade explains that China pushes us to rethink our science policy, he ends the interview with: "If nothing is done to enhance science and if we do not develop niches of excellence, we ' impoverishes and we lose the economic war. ".
In both cases I totally agree with the content, the arguments deployed by the author, is the container, the discursive strategies mobilized worries me. A little further still Affairs The three pages on corporate espionage, "Caution, a spy is stalking you." No mention of China, however, on page 13 which is intended as a spy over 101 in the drawing, the characters are all Asian.
The collective memory still surfs on the current wave of yellow peril comeback during economic depressions. Wave that began in 1999. That year, the American scientist of Chinese origin and official federal, Wen Ho Lee was accused of having leaked nuclear secrets to his country of origin and spent nine months in solitary confinement until the prosecution ultimately abandons virtually all charges against him. During his nine months in prison, a former FBI agent was going to suggest that it was reasonable to estimate at 100,000 the number of Sino-Americans working as intelligence officer for China. We even told that Chinese girls very attractive and luscious, but mostly spies on behalf of the Beijing government, once naturalized American, were a husband industrial, scientific or official in a position to better carry out its acts of industrial espionage.
It is interesting to note that while the Maoist China was undergoing the Cultural Revolution (1966-76), Japan's aggressive performances came to life in America and Europe. On the threshold of the 1970s, evoking the Japanese economic miracle was soon to become the latest expression and most objective of the new Yellow Peril. "Thus was reborn the hydra Japanese who already terrified Europeans during the inter-war period: the Japanese miracle, the Japanese challenge, the Century Japan: with these vouchers shocks the world has suddenly realized the weight reached by the Country of the Rising Sun after twenty years of hard work, but discreet. "could be seen on highways U.S. multitudes of titles bumper hanging on the bumper of pick-ups from the west coast saying Toyota - Datsun - Honda - and Pearl Harbor.
be seen in the light of these two waves that the economic factor seems to direct the movement of the pendulum. Closer to home, what is worrisome is when journalists and scientists mobilized the discourse of the Yellow Peril to serve their purpose, point-impact, awareness, etc.. It is even more worrying when they do not seem to realize what they do.
It is undeniable that China poses challenges to our societies, our economies, our gains. In this situation, the discourse of threat of war, the yellow peril can be used to mobilize, sensitize policy makers, opinion leaders and the population, but it builds and fosters an attitude of mistrust towards China. As the ideas do not disappear with the movement of the pendulum in terms of such discursive strategies can in no way serve our interests. The role of China in the globalized world is changing and we can play a constructive influence.
PS. In his recent edition (4-10 December), The Economist has a 14-page report on the dangers of a rising China.
PPS. Journalist at La Presse, Lysiane Gagnon with whom I had some email exchanges for less muscular in the hours that followed my reading of his article in the December 2 changes of tone in the conclusion to his paper of 11 December: But China always surprise his admirers as his critics. It is therefore unwise to predict the future ... "A return to rational discourse.
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