“Despite everything, the regime is very self-confident”
Chinese artist Ai Weiwei considers the decisions of the Chinese leadership to be chaotic and confusing. The abrupt departure from zero-Covid will bring “panic and death.” Nevertheless, he does not see any weakening of the regime. At the same time, he reiterates his criticism of the Germans' belief in authority. The questions were asked by Fabian Peltsch.
It has been a turbulent year for China: we have seen strict lockdowns, one of the most important party congresses in the past 30 years, riots in the streets and an unexpected end to zero-Covid. What has surprised you most in China this year, and would you consider 2022 a turning point in recent Chinese history?
What is happening in China today speaks for itself. Despite apparent clarity, both observers and actors inside and outside China are somehow confused. The confusion arises from the country's unreasonable decision-making and implementation practices, detached from common sense and science. No one knows why the dynamic zero-Covid policy had to be implemented. These measures very brutally erased basic characteristics of human existence and left people without support from families, communities, friends and medical systems. In absolute terms, people were ruled like animals. Which surprised us to this extent.
Yes, in Chinese culture there is traditionally a lot of thought about humanity, both by those in power and by ordinary people. What China has experienced in the past three years during the pandemic is unprecedented. The sudden reopening goes against the government's previous logic and has shaken public confidence in the government and its policies. It also leads to a huge number of Covid cases. Almost everyone has been infected with Covid. So there is a lot of panic and death. This once again calls into question the legitimacy of the regime and its policies.
The sudden end of the zero-Covid restrictions followed immediately on the heels of the protests in Beijing and Shanghai. Do you see a new civil society on the rise?
I don't think there is a civil rights movement in China. The protests were spontaneous, like the reaction when we jam our fingers in a door or hit our heads. There are no conscious civil rights movements in China because there are no "citizens" in the Western sense: people who are aware of their source of information and who express their opinions to trigger a reaction that benefits society. China has always been subject to strict censorship. All incoming information and all permitted expression is strictly controlled. Dissenting opinions are deleted and blocked. And people with dissenting opinions are arrested and put in prison.
So it is completely wrong to think that the reopening means that the regime has gone soft. The Chinese government is extremely confident in every way and that will continue to be reflected in its governance in the future.
From the outside, Xi Jinping's handling of Covid and the sudden end of restrictions appear helpless, contradictory and chaotic. Is this a misjudgment?
International media coverage of China will always be wrong, regardless of perspective. How can one judge a disorderly government that acts without logic? All of their judgments will prove to be wrong. The policies currently being implemented do not mean that the regime has given in to the protests. In fact, all protesters have been arrested and the arrests are still ongoing. This hardly provokes any reaction. Instead, people are more concerned about the well-being of the economy. However, the politically correct party line will hardly help with the economic problems.
Since international air traffic could resume as early as January 2023 without quarantine measures, can the world soon return to business as usual with China?
Foreign business relations with China will return to pre-pandemic levels as international trade is highly dependent on China.
What advice would you give to people in China who continue to demand long-term change?
I have no advice to give. I was once involved myself, I wanted to make a difference and I worked hard to achieve it. At the moment, those who tried just as hard are in prison. None of this works under a regime like this. Autocratic regimes are there to destroy any efforts to build a civil society.
You once said: The power of art humiliates the political elite when it comes to social change. Do you also see the blank pages, the many memes and the wordplay criticism on social media as a kind of artistic expression?
I don't think this is a conscious artistic expression. These statements are what they are, for lack of better options. They not only express a desire for free expression, but also embody an extreme kind of helplessness.
What is your greatest hope for China and the world in 2023?
I hope that in 2023, when the pandemic is over, China can return to some degree of normality. As for Taiwan, the PRC regime is trying to find a solution, but I think the problem will remain for a long time. The Taiwan issue is an international problem.
What are the biggest threats that we need to address immediately?
The greatest dangers today remain the conflicts between two worlds: the dominant West with its old logic and its concepts of globalization against the newly developed countries such as China, Russia and others that are striving for further development and proposing a different kind of order. It is difficult to reconcile these two worlds. In the future, this problem will become even more acute.
You left China eight years ago. What do you miss most?
What I miss is not China itself, but rather my right to travel freely. This right includes being able to return to visit my relatives and friends.
You lived in Berlin between 2015 and 2019. Your statements that Germany was authoritarian and xenophobic were widely discussed and also used politically. What is your position on this outcry today? Do you feel misunderstood?
As an artist, the first thing I think about is how to express my feelings truthfully. Everyone can see Germany's authoritarian traits, which are deeply rooted in reality. It is a cultural problem and cannot be changed by individuals. In every country there are supporters of authoritarianism, autocracy and even Nazism. It's just that every country expresses these thoughts in a different form and to a different extent. In this respect, Germany, in my opinion, has essential characteristics of these thoughts. Every sentence of my criticism is correct.
You are still one of the most quoted people of Chinese origin in the German media. Your voice counts when it comes to better understanding China. You also defended Olaf Scholz's trip to Beijing after the party congress. What advice would you give German and European politicians now when they are planning their China strategies?
I never defended Olaf Scholz. What I said: His behavior as a politician is not much different from that of other politicians. Germany is not just hypocritically ingratiating itself with political correctness (Editor's note: in China). It is trying to serve its own interests. Scholz does not deserve any compliments for that. What I advocated is political dialogue. On the surface, there are big differences in the attitudes of the various European countries, but at the core they all try very hard to keep China happy. So German politicians are no different from other politicians in Europe.
Ai Weiwei, artist, born in 1957, currently lives in Portugal. In his works he deals with current social issues. In 2011 he was imprisoned in China for several months and was then banned from leaving the country. From 2015 to 2019 he lived in Berlin and taught at the University of the Arts. He then moved to Great Britain. Ai answered the questions in writing.