China Watcher: Confessions of a Peking Tom

Foreword

ix Foreword That the U.S.-China relationship is the most important of the twentyfirst century has become a truism—likewise that the rise of China is, for us, both a challenge and an opportunity. But few understand that the way to deal with the challenge is to take full advantage of the opportunity. Richard Baum’s fascinating and refreshingly honest account of his forty years of China watching offers readers in both countries a key ingredient for resolving this riddle: information and insight about the other side. For Americans, this shows how an experienced, highly trained specialist sees Chinese realities—but in a personal, rather than an academic, mode. For Chinese, it is a candid display, told with goodwill, of how an American China watcher of integrity views their country. Some of Professor Baum’s views on China are quite different from my own, but I firmly believe that Americans and Chinese alike should read his book. China watchers are a unique breed. Fifty years ago, when I was an “insider” in Beijing, I considered their writings on China to be hopelessly superficial and even ludicrous. I had access to classified information— what did they know? It soon turned out, however, that while I knew the trees better than they did, they knew the forest. They were right about some of the large issues that I, on the inside, couldn’t see. Of course, when I say “they,” I am referring to serious, unbiased China scholars like the author of this book, not to professional China bashers. Americans who wish to get an accurate , workable understanding of China need to refer to American China scholars as well as to authoritative information from China itself. Arrogant x foreword nationalism (often masquerading as patriotism) or simplistic China bashing based on political or ideological agendas can lead us into a swamp of misunderstanding and counterproductive behavior. I heartily commend Professor Baum’s book to thoughtful readers on both sides of the Pacific—or, for that matter, throughout all the Seven Seas. sidney rittenberg Member, Chinese Communist Party, 1946–78 Author, The Man Who Stayed Behind ...