Over a decade after the 2008 financial crisis, the cracks in our neoliberal economy are still glaringly apparent. Multinational corporations continue to exploit cheap labor from around the world, and inequality has only worsened. To maintain this system, many leaders in the West have turned to nationalism to justify the economic plundering of other countries.  

Donald Trump’s presidency marks a new era of sinophobia. Even before entering the White House, he attacked China for stealing US companies’ intellectual property, accused it of “raping” the US with unfair trade policies, and — most importantly for his targeted audience — blamed it for the theft of American jobs. The hostility has only worsened since he took office. From battling over 5G technology to the seemingly endless trade war, news about China continues to saturate American media. 

But anxiety of China’s economic growth didn’t begin with Trump. For decades, Western media has churned out dystopian depictions of China. It has been portrayed as everything from a backward country with a disastrous human-rights record to a digitally powered authoritarian state that threatens American freedom. And while international criticism of the use of technology in China is often warranted, the narrative of American media is usually much simpler: The less free China looks, the more free America appears.