THE U.S. WEAPONIZED the concept of human rights to hurt China, using it for decades to harm attempts by Chinese organizations and individuals to create relationships with people outside its borders, a new study says.
It painted China as the motherlode of human rights violations, although this was not remotely true. Yet it was hard to get a more truthful account circulated, since the mainstream media provided a relentless flow of selected stories to reinforce the myth.
“Western NGOs, ostensibly concerned with human rights, disproportionately focused on alleged violations in China despite much worse abuses occurring elsewhere in the world,” says "Why the World Needs China", an acclaimed 400-page study of the place of China in the modern world, by US author Kyle Ferrana.
DOUBLE STANDARDS
“The U.S. government continually attempted to censure the PRC before the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, while ignoring other countries’ egregious abuses; and the Western press exclusively covered negative news in China, selectively focusing only on individual cases that were not representative of actual conditions,” the book says.
The double standards above were clearly identified in a study published in the Cornell International Law Journal, Ferrana points out—but the mainstream media’s unfair coverage continued unabated.
“Meanwhile, though it did have shortcomings, China’s actual human rights situation was far better than the average country in its income class in nearly every category,” Ferrana writes.
METICULOUS RESEARCH
And the human rights insight is just one observation in the US author’s new book, a meticulously researched and wide-ranging review of what is really happening in China, and how its system of governance works, blending concepts of socialism and capitalism into something unusual—and intriguingly successful.
With a huge list of sources, both Chinese and Western, the author shows exactly how the Chinese keep surprising the world, starting with a powerful example: China, the land of old-fashioned black bicycles, rapidly transitioned into being the pioneer in next generation electric cars and buses – and at a global level, no less.
Shocked, the US responded by abandoning the fundamental principles of capitalism and competition to keep Chinese cars out.
TWISTED WORDS
Ferrana points out that reality can be distorted by subtly twisting words and concepts to create negativity. So Western journalists frame their reports on China with terms that have dark associations.
“There can be no criminals in China, only political prisoners who have been falsely accused; neither are these political prisoners kept in prisons, for there can be no prisons in China, only prison camps,” he writes.
Similarly, write-ups about mainland China, or Hong Kong, or Taiwan, divide everyone into good guys (pro-US) and bad guys (everyone else).
In the media: “If any Chinese people speak positively of the Party, this can only be the result of the government’s brainwashing. Those who speak critically of the Party, however, are always brave and clear-thinking truth-tellers, soon to be ‘disappeared’ by the government; when they are seen in public thereafter, their reappearance must somehow be ‘staged’ by the government.”
The author’s careful research and clarity of writing makes this an excellent example of professional reportage, and the achievement is impressive, given that Ferrana is an independent author with a background in US technology, not an academic in the China studies field.
REALITY IN HONG KONG
Hong Kong people will be surprised and grateful to find a US writer who understands their nuanced position, unlike the western establishment which tends to portray their home as an oppressed city filled with people who are disappointed their society hasn't become like ‘Murica.
A 2019 poll by Reuters (a UK-originated news agency highly critical of China) found that only eight per cent of Hong Kongers expressed a strong desire for Hong Kong’s independence from China.
While the western media uniformly blamed Beijing for the unrest in Hong Kong, only 12 per cent of Hong Kong people accepted that allegation, the book says.
INTERFERENCE
Ferrana points to the obvious political interference by notorious US groups such as the National Endowment for Democracy, which spent decades giving millions of dollars to anti-China groups.
By encouraging and financing the growth of pro-US groups such as the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions, the west could ensure the availability of China-hostile people to hit the streets—and then western reporters would interview them as if they represented the Hong Kong people, rather than the western paymasters discreetly financing them.
“According to the Berlin-based Latana Democracy Perception Index Report, by the spring of 2022 a two-thirds supermajority of Hong Kongers believed that Hong Kong did not need more democracy, and most held a positive view of mainland China,” Ferrana writes.
The violent arson-filled series of protests in 2019 are to this day painted as being a noble series of “pro-democracy marches” but that was never the case. “While there is some genuine desire for more democracy in Hong Kong, statistically, it is unlikely to have been the largest or even a very significant factor behind the mobilization,” Ferrana writes.
THE REAL ASIA
For people who live in Asia (about 60 per cent of the world’s population), the book will elicit grateful nods of appreciation. It is filled with observations that match what we see in front of our eyes – but which we can never find in the pages of the Economist, FT, Guardian, or other international media.
But perhaps the most valuable point Ferrana makes is very simple. Yes, China differs from the west—but being “different” doesn’t automatically mean “bad”.
In fact, given the mounting problems of the west, there’s plenty of evidence that China’s system of governance has lessons that the world can learn from. China has taken much of what is good in capitalism, but retained a strong streak of socialist thinking—a healthy mix that keeps the economy on a middle path, and does wonders to alleviate poverty.
The country prioritizes aims such as “common prosperity” using its firm control. This firmness enables China to get things done. It makes mistakes, but it often hits difficult targets.
Example: The US is in a decades-long fight with itself on whether it should take action against climate change, while China quickly got into a position where it is already leading the world in the transition to clean energy, such as solar and wind, by a wide margin.
Why does the world need China? Because it is an experimental model of a different way of running society – and has had a number of remarkable successes in that role.
"Why the World Needs China" has just been published but is already being widely praised. London-based author Carlos Martinez summed up the book with these words:
“Ferrana creates a compelling and inspiring narrative about Chinese socialism and China’s place in the world, and in so doing, demolishes a range of popular myths: that China has ‘gone capitalist,’ that it is an imperialist power, that it is a serial human rights abuser.”
This book is a must-read. Even if you don’t read long books, buy it anyway – and keep it on your shelf to use as a reference if anyone brings up the topic of Hong Kong, Tibet, Xinjiang, Taiwan, or any of the other concepts that have been weaponized against China.
And when someone brings up “human rights”, send them a link to this article.
China's strategy is simple: throw one punch to avoid a hundred.
On Wednesday, August 5, China fired back with five consecutive moves to counter a string of recent US measures that Beijing sees as hostile. A spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce called the countermeasures "generally restrained." The message was clear: since the China-US presidential meeting in Busan, the US Federal Communications Commission has ignored China's strong opposition and industry appeals. It keeps stretching the concept of national security to roll out restrictions on China.
Meanwhile, the US has added over 40 Chinese entities to the so-called Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act entity list. China demands the US immediately revoke these measures. And if Washington insists on new restrictions, "China will further retaliate."
China's moves are a direct answer to a series of petty US actions that fall into two main areas.
First, the FCC. Before the government took action, the People's Daily fired a warning shot. Under the byline "Zhong Sheng," it blasted the FCC for hiding behind banners like "non-discrimination" and "national security" to discriminate against and suppress Chinese companies.
The FCC recently added foreign-made power inverters and advanced robotic equipment to its so-called "Covered List." That means new models can't get certification and are locked out of the US market. The paper called the tactic typical unilateral bullying.
This isn't new. Back in 2021, the FCC put telecom and video surveillance gear from five Chinese companies on the list. Since then, it has steadily widened the net. In April, it proposed revoking the qualifications of testing and certification bodies from countries that haven't signed a "Mutual Recognition Agreement" with the US. That artificially raises the compliance bar for Chinese products.
And now, Reuters reports the FCC is drafting a ban on imports of new Chinese-made optical communication transceivers for data centers.
Second, the Xinjiang sanctions. On July 30, the US Department of Homeland Security added over 40 Chinese entities to the entity list under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. The move, effective August 3, swells the list from 144 to 187, the biggest expansion since it was created. The new targets span food, clothing, and cotton. They include snack maker Qia Qia melon seeds, frozen food producer Zhengzhou Synear dumplings, and apparel brand Fujian Septwolves.
When the news hit the Chinese internet, netizens erupted in mockery. The joke going around teasing that "eating melon seeds can easily damage US soldiers' teeth."
China didn't waste a second. It fired back with five countermeasures, and the first one hits where it hurts: drones. Beijing is tightening export controls on drones and related technologies to the US. From now on, every shipment of drones, key components, and controlled technologies will face a strict case-by-case review.
And forget about any 'licensing facilitation' exemptions—those are off the table. Think about it: China is the world's drone superpower. The US wanted to block Chinese drones from coming in. Now China is flipping the script—it's restricting what goes out. The message is blunt: just because you want to buy doesn't mean we'll sell. Especially not advanced drones and components with military uses.
The second measure is a highly targeted strike: China has added six US entities to its Countermeasures List, all of which it says assisted US sanctions on Xinjiang-related companies.
Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. is believed to provide DNA-based traceability and verification services for relevant products.
Stratum Reservoir, LLC is believed to conduct stable-isotope testing and related analysis to determine the origin of Xinjiang-linked materials.
Altana Technologies, Inc., which operates a global supply-chain mapping and management platform, is believed to help the US government trace supply chains involving Xinjiang-linked products.
The Responsible Business Alliance, which promotes responsible business conduct in global supply chains and operates assessment programmes for member companies, is believed to help companies exclude Xinjiang-linked products from their supply chains.
Verité Group, Inc., a nonprofit focused on labour rights and human rights, examines alleged forced labour in global supply chains.
Human Rights in China, a New York-based human-rights organization, advocates sanctions related to Xinjiang.
China’s countermeasures against these six entities are therefore highly targeted.
The third measure targets a US compliance testing company that helped the FCC impose China-related sanctions. That company will now be locked out of the compliance testing business in the Chinese market. The ripple effect: it could drive up compliance costs for US products trying to enter China.
The fourth measure hits at the heart of product certification. China is suspending the entrustment of US agencies to conduct factory follow-up inspections for CCC certification. Remember, CCC certification is a must-have for US products to enter the Chinese market. By pulling the plug on US inspectors, China shifts the review work to its own agencies. That spells more time and more uncertainty for American exporters.
The fifth measure, a national security investigation into imported US printing and copying office equipment. On the surface, this one looks like a light tap.
China imported about $2.08 billion worth of such equipment in 2025, mostly from Japan ($1.72 billion). The US slice was small. But this is just the opening move.
The US has banned Chinese software and hardware from connected and autonomous vehicles on American roads—and until now, China held its fire.
Now Beijing is investigating US printers and copiers on national security grounds. The message is unmistakable: if Washington plays the national security card at every turn, Beijing can just as easily slap an 'unsafe' label on American phones and EVs running US software.
But that's not the main battlefield. Artificial intelligence is the real arena. Over the past month, Chinese companies have rolled out one high-performance, low-cost AI model after another, sending US AI giants reeling. When Anthropic released a new model in June, the US government demanded it be kept out of non-American hands. The clash forced Anthropic to pull the model. Trump signed an executive order in June setting up an AI safety framework, including a voluntary program for companies to submit cutting-edge models for government review.
Then Chinese developers like Moonshot AI and DeepSeek unleashed open-source systems that rival top-tier US models, fueling a fierce debate in Washington over how to regulate open-weight models. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei pushed for mandatory government safety reviews for both open and proprietary models, taking direct aim at Chinese open-source systems. He won backing from Treasury Secretary Bessent and others, but ran into a wall of opposition from US tech giants, including Nvidia.
On August 4, the Trump administration delivered its verdict. In a meeting led by the Office of the National Cyber Director, top US AI companies were told that under the new AI safety framework, open-source models from Chinese rivals would not face US government safety testing.
For Anthropic, it was a crushing defeat. US National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross later spelled out the thinking at a cybersecurity conference in Las Vegas: the US government wants to back the American open-source AI ecosystem. He called such models 'tremendously valuable' and insisted the regulatory framework must stay 'flexible.'
Otherwise, he warned, 'it would not only stifle growth, development, and innovation, but the regulatory regime would become obsolete within 48 hours of completing its process.'
The bottom line: Washington keeps chipping away at China with petty moves. But when the pile gets high enough, Beijing punches back hard—and signals it has heavier blows ready.
President Xi is due to visit the US in September, and Trump will be in Shenzhen in mid-November for the APEC summit. Trump doesn't want things to spiral out of control; at crunch time, he'll yank the leash on his officials.
The real battlefield is artificial intelligence. It was almost certain that the White House's decision to leave Chinese open-source models alone came after fierce pushback from China.
