From Overseas Press
China ousts Russia as America's new enemy
(chinadaily,com.cn)
Updated: 2010-06-04 09:36
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Red Dawn, a classic movie from 1984 about ordinary American teenagers leading an armed resistance movement against Soviet troops who had invaded the US, is being remade following Hollywood's recent trend of recycling old films. But there is one vital difference: This time the invading communist army that takes over America is Chinese, according to an article published in The Observer on May 31.
The difference reflects the changes of the world. “The Soviet Union no longer exists and a rich vein of paranoia about the rise of Chinese economic might now runs through American politics,” said the article.
The appeal of the film lies “in its ability to reflect the worries of a troubled nation,” said the article. The new Red Dawn will follow the old one's cultural footsteps – “hype the patriotism and depict ordinary American teenagers fighting off the 'red menace.' ”
However, the new one reflects Americans' fears over economic decline, rather than a nuclear-armed global stand-off. This time, “Chinese troops use the pretext of America's economic problems to invade.”
The article further explained that this kind of paranoia is based on reality, and “there is little doubt that America now regards the rise of China as the next major threat to its global dominance. Over the past decade China has pursued an active foreign policy in Africa and Latin America. Its rapidly growing economy is quickly catching up with the United States and it has recovered much quicker from the recent recession, which the US is still feeling. Such things have led to a strain of anti-Chinese sentiment in some parts of American politics and the media.”