How the CCP Dupes the West—and We Keep Falling for It | Chenggang Xu

🔵 Try Epoch Times now: https://theepochtim.es/ATLUSA
Canada Edition: https://theepochtim.es/ATLCA

This is the full version of Jan Jekielek’s interview with Chenggan Xu. The interview was released on Epoch TV on August 26, 2025.

Political economist Chenggang Xu grew up amid the upheaval of China’s Cultural Revolution and in the 1970s was beaten, imprisoned, and subjected to years of forced labor by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Today, he is a senior research scholar at the Stanford Center on China’s Economy and Institutions, a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, and author of the new book, “Institutional Genes: Origins of China’s Institutions and Totalitarianism.”

For decades, Beijing has repeatedly deceived the world about its true intentions, Xu says. So why do we keep falling for it?

In this episode, Chenggang Xu dives into the origins of the Chinese Communist Party and why Xu believes its model of totalitarianism is distinct from any other regime today.

CHAPTER TITLES
0:00:00 Introduction and Background of Professor Chenggang Xu
0:01:41 Origins and Nature of the Chinese Communist Party
0:05:12 Secret Societies and Terrorist Roots of the CCP
0:12:27 The Role of Violence and Power Struggles in the CCP
0:17:12 Totalitarianism vs. Authoritarianism: Key Differences
0:24:46 Party Control Over Private Sector and Media
0:26:14 Mechanisms of Party Supremacy in China
0:31:00 The United Front Strategy and Its Global Impact
0:40:34 Professor Xu’s Personal Experience During the Cultural Revolution
0:45:23 Life in Rural China and Lessons on Totalitarianism
0:50:17 Civil Society, Democracy, and the American Example
0:51:47 Party Control Over Military, Courts, and Lawmaking
0:57:09 Regionally Administered Totalitarianism (RADT) in China
1:05:13 Preservation and Adaptation of Traditional Structures
1:06:28 Global Implications and the Need for Decoupling
1:12:56 Expansionism and Military Modernization
1:16:15 Comparing US and Chinese Military Strategies
1:20:44 Final Thoughts and Book Recommendation

Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.