Deng Xize

Deng Xize

Professor, Sichuan University

Deng Xize is a Professor at Sichuan University. Upon graduation from teachers’ college, he self-studied for his diploma and Bachelor's, and continued pursuing his Master's and PhD. He taught primary school first before teaching undergraduates and postgraduates. He emphasises the importance of free thought and thinking skills, especially focusing on logic. He is a believer of science, and is inclined towards interdisciplinary studies. He has authored four books and published over 80 journal articles. He is also a columnist for Lianhe Zaobao.

A view shows the State Historical Museum (C), St Basil's Cathedral (R) and one of the Stalin-era skyscrapers in downtown Moscow on 11 July 2022. (Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP)

No more Mongol-Russian style empire: Thoughts on the war in Ukraine

Chinese academic Deng Xize notes that the Mongol and Russian empires were very similar in origin and nature, but the conditions that allowed their rise and spread no longer exist today, leading to their inevitable decline. The global reaction to the war in Ukraine in fact shows that such empires will no longer be tolerated.
In this picture taken on 15 January 2021, a picture of Chinese President Xi Jinping with a face mask is displayed as people visit an exhibition about China’s fight against the Covid-19 coronavirus at a convention centre that was previously used as a makeshift hospital for patients in Wuhan. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP)

Chinese academic: Why China's 'harsh' counter-pandemic measures are valid

Putting ideology and biases aside, there was no unlawful coercion in China’s Covid-19 measures and no ethical redlines were breached, says Deng Xize. Based on contract theory, people give up some of their rights in exchange for benefits. It is thus expected that people would accept strict measures under the threat of the pandemic. In fact, most of the Chinese population adhered to the measures, with some going overboard in certain cases.
In this file photo from 6 January 2021, supporters of US President Donald Trump enter the US Capitol, in Washington, DC. (Saul Loeb/AFP)

America's flawed democracy: When power and cognitive abilities of the people fail to match

Academic Deng Xize notes that the 2020 US election demonstrates what he terms the Socratic Trap, referring to the gap between people’s cognitive abilities and the power they hold. How will this affect the democratic process, and what are the shortcomings of democracy?
A sticker of the Statue of Liberty wearing a mask is seen on 10 May 2020 in the Manhattan borough of New York City. (Jeenah Moon/Getty Images/AFP)

The US empire will not fall anytime soon, going by ancient China’s experience

In his writings, Norwegian academic Johan Galtung predicted the fall of the US empire in 2020. At this mid point of the year, Deng Xize takes stock and holds fast to his earlier opposition to Galtung’s hypothesis, saying that the US empire is not going anywhere just yet — there is simply no other country that can take on a dominant role in its place.
Will the global pandemic push humanity to reflect, make progress, and arrive at better global governance? In this photo taken on 27 April 2020 (rotated 180 degrees), a man is reflected on a puddle of water in a public square during the coronavirus outbreak in Valparaiso, Chile. (Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters)

The Covid-19 pandemic has worsened the chasms of the world, but can humanity reflect and make progress?

Chinese academic Deng Xize is mostly pessimistic as he traces lessons from history to conclude that international cooperation is only tenable with the combination of well-functioning international institutions and concert among the major powers. In light of further tensions between China and the US arising from the pandemic, he sees little room for cooperation on a global scale, and instead, only greater signs of animosity of the sort seen during the Cold War.
A couple walks by the Castro theater with their baby in San Francisco, California on 17 March 2020. (Josh Edelson/AFP)

Annihilation or protracted war ⁠— which is our best bet against Covid-19?

Professor Deng Xize of Sichuan University says that months into the fight against the coronavirus, strategies that countries are adopting are coalescing around two main threads — a war of annihilation or a protracted war. He cautions that these conflicting approaches are bound to generate risks on a global scale. Not only will the history of some countries take a different turn, international dynamics will also be altered. For the individual, it may become a gamble of health and luck.
In academia, covert corruption is more pronounced than overt acts of corruption that are explicitly prohibited by law. (iStock)

Eradicating academic warlords and bandits in Chinese academia

Deng Xize asserts that the oligopolistic system in Chinese academia facilitates a covert form of corruption. Specifically, academics double hat as government officials, thereby gaining advantages such as greater access to academic resources. For him, a clear separation between academics and politics is the most urgent reform needed in Chinese academia.
For most people, after posting an update of their patriotism, everything goes back to normal immediately. (iStock)

Patriotic on WeChat, narcissist in real life

We live in an increasingly globalized world, and yet nationalism is on the rise. How is the country related to the individual in our times? Many proclaim patriotism on social media, but how does that translate into actions in real life? Deng Xize from Sichuan University gives his take from China.