Note: 1 October, 2024, 75 days from now, marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. For the next 75 days, I’ll be commenting on relevant topics and events.

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Last Thursday, 11 July 2024, PRC Foreign Minister spokesman Lin Jian said that NATO should “avoid messing up Asia the way it messed up Europe.” Really?

Do Europeans enjoy more or fewer freedoms to express themselves than people living in Xinjiang, Hong Kong or, indeed, across the PRC?

Do individual Europeans enjoy higher or lower standards of living than individuals living in the People’s Republic of China?

NATO aims to “safeguard freedom, democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law.” Is the Communist Party of China seeking to advance those principles?

More importantly than begging specific questions, Lin’s public statement represents a type of opportunity that NATO leadership can exploit with both high frequency and high fidelity. Some of China’s best minds review responses rigorously and relay their assessments to the Communist Party’s top leadership. More on that tomorrow.