When Grant Newsham, a retired US Marine colonel and security analyst, sat down for an interview that aired last month, he called China’s economic rise illusory and said there were “600 million Chinese at least who live on US$5 a day or less”.
His remarks quickly drew online criticism as well as accusations that he was using outdated figures from 2020 while ignoring differences in purchasing power.
Some commenters argued that uneven development was common across countries. Others questioned how much on-the-ground China experience Newsham had before making the statement to the Epoch Times, a right-wing outlet associated with Falun Gong and banned in China.
However, the debate went beyond a dispute over China’s living standards: it highlighted a need for Americans – including policymakers and academics – to gain first-hand experience of China, while drawing attention to their shrinking opportunities to gain that exposure.