It doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, so long as it catches mice.
Deng XiaopingRead
China is not a superpower, nor will she ever seek to be one... If one day China should change her color and turn into a superpower, if she too should play the tyrant in the world, and everywhere subject others to her bullying, aggression and exploitation, the people of the world should identify her as social-imperialist, expose it, oppose it and work together with the Chinese people to overthrow it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
China does not aspire to be a superpower and warns against its potential for social-imperialism.
Deng Xiaoping emphasizes that China does not aim to dominate other nations like a typical superpower, but rather hopes to avoid aggression and exploitation. He urges the global community to recognize and resist any such future behavior from China, advocating for solidarity with the Chinese people against social-imperialism or oppression under any regime.
Themes
ChinaSuperpowerSocial-ImperialismTyrantAggression
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about global power dynamics, one could reference this quote to highlight China's stance on superpower aspirations.
More from Deng Xiaoping
All quotes →Poverty is not socialism. To be rich is glorious.
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