China’s Surveillance State Now Powered By U.S. Tech Giants

“The best way to control the opposition is to lead them.” — Vladimir Lenin

In writing this essay, I’ve come to the conclusion that the theatre of post-Cold War foreign policy can’t escape the shadow of George Orwell’s 1984. If you search for his work online, you’ll find a million and one examples of how his critique of monopolized state power has been ironically reduced to boomer-tier Facebook memes quickly distracting us away from recognizing the systemic corruptions he sought to expose. There is no greater example of such Orwellian dynamics at play than in the dark relationship between America and China which, as it turns out, is far more secretive than what gets performed on the international stage.

As we approach the 30th anniversary of this post-Cold War era, there remains a crusade-like romanticization of the “US versus its global adversaries”, with the Chinese communist regime serving as the clear and present danger to global human rights. The country’s use of slavery, surveillance and propaganda warfare check many of the familiar boxes of Orwell’s dystopia, all of which are united under the banner of government-led denialism in order to continue business as usual. By contrast, America maintains the appearance of the principled opponent, with both President Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden condemning…