Xi’s No-Show At BRICS, U.S. Tariffs, India Border Row, Dalai Lama: Top China Expert’s Explosive Take

See full interview: YouTube

Wang wen: President Xi visited Brazil last year. So this year, he let Chinese Premier Li Qiang attended the BRICS summit. China has never been afraid of the U.S. tariff threat. On the contrary, it is the U.S. that is afraid of Chinaand begs to negotiate with China. A lot of western media, they demonize Xinjiang and describe a very black, very dirty, very terrible Xinjiang. I think that is all rumor. Tibet is our own issue. Don't intervene in China's sovereignty. Tibet is naturally one part of China. Don't let the border conflict or the Dalai Lama issues influence our two smart and great countries.

Hindustan Times: Professor Wang, you are saying don't over speculate, but here's a report that I'd like to quote, and the report is referring to the protests which might be on the rise in China in the after math of tariffs. especially after the U.S. president Donald Trump set up a trade war with world's second largest economy.

Wang wen: I'm wondering why you often quote those fake news. No, I guarantee, trust me. In China, no any so called "strike" or any anti-government movement happened now in China. Now, as I said, the economic growth is very stableand our economic recovery has more and more power. And also, more and more Chinese people, they have a very strong confidence in our country's future. I think these are all the reality. So as a Chinese scholar, I just want to share the real phenomena and real reality to my Indian friends. Don't trust, those are fake news. I think the only way to understand and observe China's reality is that come to China. Welcome every Indian friend to China. Just have a look and observe in China, you can see that this country has a very good, very nice future, and you will like the country indeed.

Hindustan Times: I'd be happy. I'd be happy to visit China,I mean it seems like a lovely place. But having said that, as a journalist, would I be free to travel to Xinjiang for that matter and report from there independently?  Would I be allowed to do that?

Wang wen: Of course Xinjiang is very beautiful. I have been in Xinjiang more than 20 times. Even this summer, I plan to bring my children to Xinjiang again. And also, Xinjiang welcome every foreign friends. But I admit that in the maybe five or six years ago, a lot of western media demonize Xinjiang and describe a very black, very dirty, very terrible Xinjiang. I think that is all rumor, all fake news. So I think nowadays, if you come to Xinjiang, if you come to China, I guarantee they will welcome you, welcome every foreign country. So this is new reality. And also you mentioned about Tibet, but nowadays maybe Tibet is a little bit uncomfortable, not because of political issues, but also the altitude. Cause I think Tibet has high mountains.

Hindustan Times: Believe in me professor, I'm absolutely fine with altitude. I'd love to visit Tibet and report from there independently.

Wang wen: So welcome you! If you are in Beijing or in countries in China, I can all coordinate. Maybe I can accompany with you to Tibet again. I have been in Tibet for more than...maybe about 5 times. So I think this is a very amazing, mysterious place. So I love Tibet very much. Also I'd like to accompany with Indian friendto visit Tibet again.

Hindustan Times: So professor Wang, the reason I asked you that question if I'd be allowed to report from inside China independently, is because just in 2020,18 journalists from various publications, including New York Times, Washington Postand Wall Street Journal were expelled and several others were denied visa renewals.

Wang wen: I think it's very normal, because even the Indian government will do such a policy against those fake news journalists, a lot of western media, they even demonize India, which let the India government dislike those media, those journalists. As I mentioned that in the past 10 or past 20 years, there are a lot of western media journalists. They demonized Xinjiang. They published so many negative news about Xinjiang, about China. And on the other hand,  that is,  since 2018, president Trump 1.0 launched a trade war, high tech war, even a visa war to China, and U.S. government cancelleda lot of Chinese journalists and scholars' visas. So as a countermeasure, China did such a policy against western journalists, especially the U.S. media journalists. The Chinese government cancelled their visas. I think this a very normal...it's a normal policy against those bad persons. So I think this is a basic powerand basic right as a sovereignty states. This is a mutual countermeasure.

So I think, please, my Indian friends,we have a mutual respect. Imagined if a lot of western medias, they often criticize India, often demonize India...I think, I trust, I believe, that Indian government will have such a policy.

Hindustan Times: In 2023, Anshuman Mishra of Prasar Bharatiand Ananth Krishnan of the Hindu were informed that their visas will not be renewed. And K.J.M Varam, was the last Indian journalist in China, of Press Trust of India,was asked to leave Beijing by the end of the month.

Wang wen: Yes, I feel very regret and feel very pity about our two country relationship. Not only the journalist relationship, but also there are no direct flights between China and India. The Chinese companies are investing less and less in India, and there are almost no India company investing in China. I think this is...I feel very disappointed about our bilateral relationship, and there is also a very little personnel exchange between China and IndiaI have twice lunch opportunities face by face with your ambassador in Beijing. And I applied for the India visa, and before the 2020 I have been in India 3 times. I love India very much.And I said that China and India should learn each other. But after I apply twice to India ambassador in India embassy in Beijing, I felt even for me I have no opportunity to visit India again. I think it's a very pity for meand also very regret to our bilateral relationship. In terms of my understanding, that in India, there are no any Chinese journalists. I think this is very abnormal for two great countries with a total population of nearly three billion. So I think... I hope that both China and India need to reflect.

Hindustan Times: Those things which you were talking about which are missing in the bilateral exchange between India and China, whose fault is that?

Wang wen: This is very complicated. I think before the 2018, our two country, the relationship recovered gradually. But after 2018 and 2019, the border conflict, our bilateral relationship, become worse and worse. This is very pity. By 2019, the border conflict started which was of course started by China. Would you say in that case China is at fault? These are very professional issues. I think if we should talk about those issues, we can debate one day, one night or longer. I think those issues belong to those professional person to debate.We are not inside person. I think those are diplomats or security person who can discuss about that. I just want to say China and India, those VVIP person could be calm down. Don't let such a very small issueto influence our bilateral relation recovery. We are... both of us are all very great countries. We have a broad future. We need to have a big visionto do the broader future, and don't let those small issues, such a border issue, to influence our big strategic relationship. So this is our strategy. I hope our friendly Indian friends can do that way.

Hindustan Times: Moving on, I wanna circle back to BRICS, and the conspicuous by absence, President Xi's absence at the summit and talk for a little bit about was it the impact and effect of Donald Trump's, this animosity towards BRICS that he now has been talking about for a while and has talked about tariffs.

Wang wen: No. Actually, I think, as I said, that China has never been afraid of the U.S. tariff threat. Actually, since 2018,China has a huge countermeasure to the U.S. tariff war. And we can see in the past seven years, China totally won the tariff war. Even though you can see that seven years ago, U.S. side deterred the Huawei company. But in the past seven years,Huawei company didn't die. On the contrary, Huawei's value developed much bigger than before, right？So even the U.S. use the whole country's power deter a Chinese company,U.S. failed. You know. How about China, a country. So I think that in this tariff war, China has full confidence. And we think that in terms of the tariff war, U.S. cannot contain China at all. And also in the future, the future reality will prove that the tariff war is a tremendously terrible, bad thing, and the tariff war will hurt U.S. itself. And also, in the future, we can see that China will won the tariff war. And also in the coming ten years, China's GDP will surpass United Statesand become the No.1 economy in the future, maybe in 10 years. So this is our confidence.

Hindustan Times: You're saying that and I wish you all the best and your country, but you're saying that while the growth rate has come down, it was supposed to be 5.4% for this year. But after the slowdown, it is being projected that the growth will perhaps come down 4.5% to 4.7%.

Wang wen: I think it's very normal, because in China, the existing value is very very big. Even for India, maybe in the future, Indian’s economic growth will fall down again. Now you have 6%, 7% or 8% economic growth every year, but your value is very small. Your index value is only 1/5 of China's GDP value. So that's a very easy math calculation. So your economic growth is very big, 8% even 9%,I think this is very normal. As long as your value become bigger, and your economic growth rate will be slowdown. But even that, China has a 5% economic growth, but every year the adding value of the GDP is equal to Turkey's total value. Even every three years, China's adding GDP value is equal to UK’s total GDP value annually. I think this is a very easy calculation. So that's why my confidence is that even in the past, in the coming ten years, China can keep the 5% or even 4.5% or even 4% in the coming 10 years. It is sure that China would surpass United Statesas No.1 economy in 2035.

Hindustan Times: Sure, while you say that, there is a World Bank report, which suggests that the growth in GDP and the numbers there are not connected to job growth.

Wang wen: Of course. We, as a think tank scholar, we think about our country very much. And even our government always admit that the GDP is a slowdown, it's a big pressure. But even that, you look at China's social stability and social development are still very normal, very stable, very sustainable. You look at China's EV car.You look at China AI development. I don't know whether you use DeepSeek. I think these are all very obvious development phenomenon. And look at China's high tech development, right? We have a lot, a lot of AI innovation. And look at the China's high-speed railway and high-speed way. And look at China's air space. And also, look at the expectations of 2030.China person will land on the moon. I think every phenomena can prove that. Don't trust those western media's fake news, and also don't only focus on those numbers simply look at the whole phenomenon of China development. I think you can see the real China development.

Hindustan Times: We all saw that SCO joint statement was not signed by India, because China refused to incorporate name of Pakistanand mention of Pahalgam terrorist attack in the joint statement. After which India refused to sign that statement and no joint statement was issued. 

Wang wen: These are all very complicated issue. But I have to say that Pakistan and China relationship is like a brother relationship. India knows it very much. So even that China side hopes to have a good relationship with India. That's why I accept the interview with youI just let Indian friends to calm downand to analyze the complicated issues among China, India and Pakistan. I think one common target for us is very obvious: that is to promote our own national rejuvenation. So that's our common interest. If India can become a much stronger power, I think the Chinese will very like to see it, because India and China are all very ancient eastern civilizations. We respect India. And also in the ancient times, we learn a lot from India. So in the future, if India and China can rise up simultaneously, I think this is our common happiness things. And in the 100 years ago, even 80 years ago, India is a colony. And 100 years ago China was invaded by the western country. So now we become the sovereignty power. Now we rise up simultaneously. I think these are all very good things. Don't let those western countries laugh us.

Hindustan Times: So there is some time and there are a lot of effort and lot of gestures from Chinese side,which would be required for this to perhaps go away. Wouldn't you agree?

Wang wen: As I said about the border conflict,that is a very professional issue. Both of us has no enough knowledge and information to judge about it.You just want to know a Chinese scholars' opinion about the BRICS, about China's policy. But you now often focus on the border conflict, I think this is a wrong direction, that will influence your job. I think this is the same logic for our two-countries relationship has some much wider cooperation fields to do. So don't let the border conflict influence our much wider cooperation. I think this is, as I said, the border conflict is very professional issue. Let professional to judge that. Let us just do our own cooperation issue, just focus on our cooperation. Now I accept your interview, that's our cooperation. If you always do that, debate those border conflicts, so that will broke our cooperation.

Hindustan Times: What do you think of the Chinese position and what the Dalai Lama said?

Wang wen: China's policy is very obvious, that Tibet is our own issues. Don't intervene China's sovereignty.  Tibet is naturally one part of China.  So Dalai Lama is a bad person. Dalai Lama wants to separate China.  I think this is obvious.

Hindustan Times: Bad person?

Wang wen: Yes. A man who is nonviolent. He is a bad person. He is a bad person. He's a separatist. In China, in China government, in China law. He broken the China's lawand also he's broken China's unification. I think these are all very obvious. So in India, use the Dalai Lama, play the Dalai Lama card. I think this is very dangerous. Remember it . And as I said in some, China respects India. And let's do much wider issues. Don't let the border conflict or the Dalai Lama issue influence our two smart and great countries.

Hindustan Times: India and China have a massive deficit, and the deficit is in favor of China,which means the trade imbalance between India and Chinais in favor of China.

Wang wen: One point I agree with you very obviously that is a deficit. Why you have the deficit?Because China's manufacturing is much stronger than India. So your mission is that developing India very quickly to make it much stronger than before. So I have been in India three times. I know India have very few high-speed railway, very few high-speed way, very few subway. India's infrastructure are very bad, but even that I still have a very full confidence on India’s future. So let's do it. India needs China's help, and of course China needs India's cooperation. So nowadays it's very obvious that let's show our friendliness to each other. Don't let those small issues influence our cooperation and friendship. This is very important. Let's do those bigger issues and stand together, smile at each other, and show our friendship. Then we will resolve those sensitive issues gradually. I still think and trust that China and India we should have a much better friendship and relationship. So if that, both of us will have more interest and a much better future. That's my opinion. That's why I accept your interview, just want to show my friendship to my Indian friends.

Hindustan Times: Thank you. Thank you for accepting the request professor.

Wang wen: Thank you for having me.