WTH is Happening with the Chinese Protests? Dan Blumenthal on Backlash Against the CCP's Zero-Covid Policies

Xi Jinping's long-lasting, draconian zero-Covid policy has
resulted in the largest protests in China in more than 30 years.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators are testing the government’s
“perfect” police state by actively calling for an end to Xi’s
regime, breaking through China’s firewall to spread protest
messaging, and calling into question the very legitimacy of the
empire Xi has built. This instability comes in the face of Xi
Jinping’s tightening grip on state power; the recent Chinese
Military Power Report showcases a military capable of taking
Taiwan, and Xi’s ideological push shows that he is willing. In
just a few years, the U.S. may very well be wishing that it had
taken more risks in its approach to defending Taiwan, to
increasing democratic messaging in China, and to hardline policy
on Xi’s regime… how will we ensure today that these future
mistakes are not made?


Our guest this week is Dan Blumenthal, a senior fellow at the
American Enterprise Institute. Previously, Blumenthal served as
senior director for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia at the US
Department of Defense. He also served as a commissioner on the
congressionally mandated US-China Economic and Security Review
Commission from 2006-2007, and was vice chairman of the
commission in 2007. He also served on the Academic Advisory board
of the congressional US-China Working Group. He is the author of
The China Nightmare: The Grand Ambitions of a Decaying State.


Download the transcript here.