Trump Official Warns China of Populist Backlash Over Repression

(Bloomberg) -- China's leaders risk a popular backlash if they don't loosen controls on free speech and let its people have a stronger hand in their government, a senior White House official said in a speech likely to further exacerbate tensions with Beijing.

Deputy National Security Adviser Matt Pottinger said in a speech Monday directed to the Chinese people that Beijing's efforts to punish critics -- like the doctors who the sounded early warnings over the coronavirus outbreak -- would eventually backfire.

“When small acts of bravery are stamped out by governments, big acts of bravery follow,” Pottinger said in remarks delivered by video to the University of Virginia's Miller Center in Chinese with English subtitles. Pottinger didn't outline any new U.S. policies supporting those who speak out in China.

The speech -- full of historical references and potent populist symbolism -- comes amid rising tensions between Washington and Beijing over the origin of the Covid-19 pandemic. President Donald Trump and top U.S. officials said over the weekend that there's mounting evidence China tried to cover up the scale of the virus outbreak, which they say may have emerged from a laboratory in the city of Wuhan. China rejects the accusations.

In an interview on Fox News on Sunday night, Trump promised a “conclusive” report on the outbreak's origins.

“We're going to be giving a very strong report as to exactly what we think happened. And I think it will be very conclusive,” Trump said. “My opinion is they made a mistake. They tried to cover it. They tried to put it out, just like a fire.”

Praising “democratic populism” as a driver of Trump's election to the White House and the U.K.'s Brexit referendum, Pottinger suggested Chinese suppression could eventually cause an uprising similar to the pivotal May Fourth Movement that broke out exactly 101 years ago at Tiananmen. Invoking Trump's “America First” slogan, he asked whether China “would benefit from a little less nationalism and a little more populism.”

The coronavirus outbreak has prompted debate in China about how much the Communist Party's secrecy and censorship contributed to the crisis. Chinese President Xi Jinping has told local officials to “understand, tolerate and pardon” some outbursts after the recent lockdowns, while insisting that the party's handling of the virus was “correct.”

Considered Meddling

The outbreak has also prompted a public relations battle by China and the U.S. over who is doing more to help other nations. China has touted its shipments of equipment and doctors to countries dealing with the virus. Jim Richardson, the director of U.S. foreign assistance resources at the State Department on Monday said U.S. aid going to coronavirus efforts is 50 times that of China and is “no strings attached.”

Pottinger's speech is likely to be viewed in Beijing as the latest example of growing U.S. hostility. China considers such support for dissidents to be inappropriate meddling in its domestic affairs and part of a broader American effort to undermine the ruling party.

Human rights have long been a friction point for the U.S. and China. Then-Vice President Joe Biden similarly encouraged Chinese citizens to challenge their government during a 2013 visit to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. More recently, the Trump administration has increased diplomatic contacts with Taiwan, advocated the release of Uighur Muslims held in detention camps and signed legislation backing Hong Kong democracy activists.

In the speech, Pottinger cites the case of Li Wenliang, who was among several doctors reprimanded for sharing warnings about the coronavirus infection risk in WeChat groups in late December. Li's death from the disease prompted mass expressions of grief, and the Chinese government later honored him as a martyr.

“Anyone tempted to believe this was just a case of overzealous local police, take note: China's central government aired a news story about Dr. Li's ‘rumor-mongering,'” Pottinger said.

Pottinger's speech came on the anniversary of the May Fourth Movement, a student uprising against the government's cooperation with colonial powers that laid the ground for the Communist Party's founding two years later. In a nationalist-tinged address to mark the event's centennial last year, Xi urged China's youth to “uphold the rules” and thank the party for what they had.