Over at The Corner, John Derbyshire comments on a purported speech given by one Chi Haotian, in which this apparently well-respected Chinese Communist party member (and former Secretary of Defense) stated his convictions that Hitler was too soft, a future China will need lebensraum, and to that end, the U.S.A. ought to be depopulated with biological weapons.
I think Derb gets it about right:
The authenticity of the piece needs addressing. The Epoch Times is a Falun Gong publication and its journalistic standards have been questioned. I take the speech to be authentic just on general grounds. I.e. that is how old Party warhorses—like my father-in-law—tend to talk. [Emphasis added]
To what degree Chi’s sentiments can be said to represent Chinese govt. policy is highly debatable. Certainly these sentiments are widespread in China, particularly among young males. There is a strong vein of amoral fascism in modern Chinese political thinking, along with the ancient conviction of racial superiority.
[…]
The value of documents like this is to show us a ruthless and amoral strain that is not uncommon in modern Chinese thinking, but which is inchoate and, in my opinion, not likely driving any current policy.
Just a little something to keep in mind next time Taiwan’s China Post airily dismisses the merest possibility that China could someday pose a danger to world peace.