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.
Deng XiaopingRead
Similar quotes
Democracy was regarded as entering into a crisis in the 1960s. The crisis was that large segments of the population were becoming organized and active and trying to participate in the political arena.
Noam ChomskyRead
If we choose to keep those tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires, if we choose to keep a tax break for corporate jet owners, if we choose to keep tax breaks for oil and gas companies that are making hundreds of billions of dollars, then that means we've got to cut some kids off from getting a college scholarship.
Barack ObamaRead
Part of the challenge of being a black Republican anywhere is that you start off with people walking in with chips on their shoulder trying to figure out what is wrong with you.
Tim ScottRead
Attempts are being made to turn Pakistan into a security state. If they succeed they should better rename it 'ISIstan.'
Asma JahangirRead
The new social question is: democracy or the rule of the financial markets. We are currently witnessing the end of an era. The neoliberal ideology has failed worldwide. The U.S. movement Occupy Wall Street is a good example of this.
Sigmar GabrielRead
State television, from which a significant number of Poles get their news, consistently smears, in aggressive and defamatory language, the political opposition and anyone who thinks differently from the ruling party.
Olga TokarczukRead