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Global Times: David Shambaugh Praised Xi Jinping

A year ago, the Wall Street Journal published an article by the renowned American Chinese expert, David Shambaugh, "The Coming Chinese Crackup," in which he stated that the regime under Xi Jinping was going south.

On March 1, Global Times published an exclusive report on the dialogue between Shambaugh and Wang Wen, Executive Director of the Chongyang Finance Institute of Renmin University of China. Shambaugh was much more positive about Xi Jinping.

According to Shambaugh, "In the past year, because of that article, many Chinese friends no longer treated me as an ‘old friend.’ Many Chinese media criticized me. No one invited me to visit China. All of these things upset me. … The title of that article was problematic. It was not from me, but the editor of the Wall Street Journal. They wanted to attract more readers’ eyeballs and create more profit for the newspaper. When I heard the title, I asked them to change it. They replied, ‘Sorry, David. It is too late, we’ve already gone to print.’"

"Another issue was the anti-corruption campaign. I have stated clearly that anti-corruption is good. I am all for it. It is the right thing to do and the public has received it very well. I give a thumbs up to Xi Jinping and Wang Qishan’s anti-corruption fight. Corruption is the cancer that erodes the Party, the government, the economy, and society. It must be taken care of; otherwise it will lead to the downfall of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)."

"The future reform in China should be reform of the structure, not like what China did 30 years ago. It is no longer an adjustment; rather, it is a systemic reform. For example, the financial area needs a thorough reform. However, there are quite a few people who feel that their interests have been impacted [and therefore, they resist it]. So, I agree, China’s reform needs the present strong leader."

Sources:
1. Global Times Online, March 1, 2016
http://world.huanqiu.com/exclusive/2016-03/8628170.html
2. Wall Street Journal Online, March 6, 2015
http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-coming-chinese-crack-up-1425659198