Good understanding of China does not require Chinese proficiency

 I see people talking about China experts wrt their Chinese proficiency again. 

As an ordinary longtime observer of China experts and a consumer of their information, I’d like to share my perspective. 

Is proficiency in Chinese required for a good understanding of China? No.

Is it very useful in this regard? Yes, absolutely in theory, but depends in reality. It can be very helpful or can make one delusional.

Let me explain it.

First, I need to give myself some credentials as a reasonably informed ordinary observer. I grew up in China and speak Chinese. I saw first-hand how the CCP functions, often at dinner tables with my parents and their colleagues inside the government. I still have folks in the PRC sharing information with me, some of which I cannot fully disclose for their safety.

Now, let’s look at the usefulness or the limits of Chinese proficiency.

We are 22 years into the 21st century now. For important documents such as the Xinjiang Papers, there are English versions/analyses. 

One can translate Chinese text with machines easily (I like Bing translator). The quality is fairly good for understanding, though not for publishing.

Let me randomly pick the Peng Shuai matter as an example. What better understanding can Chinese proficiency help with? I cannot think of anything significant. I read her original post in Chinese. Perhaps I sensed the feeling of a lost former concubine more clearly.

There is one scenario where Chinese proficiency is irreplaceably useful: chatting with PRC residents who trust you and DARE enough to speak candidly to share information that cannot be public (e.g., a factional fight inside the CCP). 

I am not sure how many China experts still maintain such channels. I assume everyone knows WeChat is closely monitored by the CCP.

Usually, the best place to obtain this information is at a dinner table after a few glasses of baijiu like this one:

At present, there are only two possibilities for any China expert who can still obtain a visa and visit China freely:

1. He is compromised.

2. He does strict self-censorship.

Feel free to prove me wrong.

In summary, the utility of Chinese proficiency for understanding the PRC has been greatly reduced from 1 or 2 decades ago.

The skill can be misused sometimes to fool people. For example, the renowned late China expert Vogel spoke fluent Mandarin. While working on Deng’s biography, he was hosted by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences as a VIP for an extended period (I believe it was the Institute of Contemporary China Studies, ICCS).  He was ensured to be fed with "CORRECT" materials for his book. The CCP is very happy with his book and allows his book to be sold in China.

I have seen far more garbage coming out of Chinese-speaking China “experts” than from China watchers who do not speak Mandarin. Some of the latter are so knowledgeable that they can easily offer a class about Chinese politics and history to the Chinese.

“If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.” – Einstein.

I believe I share this journey of learning with most of my fellow scientists or engineers:

First, you can say little about the subject you study due to ignorance.

Then, you can say a lot about it with all kinds of sophisticated equations all of which are accurate.  A sign of half understanding.

Finally, you can explain it briefly, elegantly, and accurately. A sign of reaching the summit.

I suspect this is applicable to social sciences such as the China Study, too.  I rarely learn anything useful from anyone who explains China with all kinds of nuances. 

Many China experts fluent in Chinese are in this nuanced category.