Lance Gore

Lance Gore

Senior Research Fellow, East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore

Lance Gore previously taught at several universities in the United States and Australia, and is currently a senior research fellow at the East Asian Institute of National University of Singapore. His recent books include The Chinese Communist Party and China’s Capitalist Revolution: The Political Impact of Market and Chinese Politics Illustrated: The Social, Cultural and Historical Context. His current research is on the new technological revolution. He is working on two books, one examining the post-capitalist trends in the world and the policy and political implications for China, and the other on entrepreneurship in the public sector.

Elon Musk leaves a US Senate bipartisan Artificial Intelligence (AI) Insight Forum at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on 13 September 2023. (Mandel Ngan/AFP)

US tech leaders leading post-capitalist trend: Is China ready?

In examining how leading global tech leaders are dealing with the issue of intellectual property rights, EAI senior research fellow Lance Gore notes that they are moving away from strongly protecting IPRs to adopting an open source philosophy about knowledge and prioritising technological innovation. He says China needs to be mindful of this post-capitalist trend in the ongoing technological revolution in order to stay relevant.
Pedestrians crossing the road in front of office and commercial buildings in the central business district of China's capital Beijing, on 9 December 2023. (SPH Media)

Fighting 'little emperors': China must not rely on public opinion to rein in power

Public opinion has continued to sway judicial justice in China since ancient times, according to EAI senior research fellow Lance Gore, and this reflects the lack of rule of law in the country and the problems with an authoritarian regime. He discusses why China has not been able to modernise its governance system and the possible reforms to right the wrongs.
A participant wearing a hat with a national flag waits before the Beijing Marathon, at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, on 29 October 2023. (Tingshu Wang/Reuters)

Can Silicon Valley offer Chinese socialism a window into the future?

EAI senior research fellow Lance Gore believes that a new wave of socialist realism is surfacing from the capitalists of Silicon Valley, the bastion of capitalism. This form of socialist realism is characterised by a complete rejection of the old socialism and a belief in efficiency as the source of common prosperity. China can learn from Silicon Valley socialism; it is high time for China to shift into new socialism based on China’s realities under the guidance of “first principles”.
A woman takes a picture along the moat outside the Forbidden City in Beijing, China, on 21 November 2023. (Wang Zhao/AFP)

Where is China now?

Only by absorbing the essence of modern civilisation can they rise above it, and only by standing on the peak of Western civilisation can they go on to the next level, says East Asian Institute senior research fellow Lance Gore. When one scans the terrain of Chinese public opinion and even academia, we see that very little remains of the constructive mentality once prevalent from the late Qing dynasty onwards — i.e., the spirit of humbly learning from the West for self-strengthening. Instead, we see "cultural self-confidence" that is not substantiated by proper analysis. Furthermore, political reform cannot always revolve around the consolidation of the ruling party’s position, and not make plans with the long-term interests of the Chinese people in mind.
US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping walk together after a meeting during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' week in Woodside, California, on 15 November 2023. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP)

Fruitful summit a sign of improving US-China relations?

Both China and the US needed a successful summit to take place for their own domestic reasons, and the San Francisco meeting achieved that, says EAI senior research fellow Lance Gore. However, the real question is whether the US is actually going for a win-win cooperation with China, or a lose-lose situation hoping that China will lose more?
People queue to enter the Forbidden City in Beijing, China, on 19 October 2023. (Edgar Su/Reuters)

China is not ready for a showdown with the US

To build the “community of shared destiny for mankind”, it is necessary to hold hands with liberalism, for it is still the international mainstream. However, finding points of agreement does not entail complete Westernisation, says East Asian Institute senior research fellow Lance Gore. What it means is to do better than the Western countries in actualising a system of human values that is identical or similar. Before China gets the world's approval in soft power, it's not ready for a showdown.
Visitors gather for the flag raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square to mark National Day in Beijing, China, on 1 October 2023. (Andrea Verdelli/Bloomberg)

How Xi Jinping built a party-centred administrative regime

Among President Xi Jinping’s efforts to ensure the permanence of the Chinese Communist Party’s regime, institutional restructuring has been an area of great focus. After two major rounds of integrated party-state institutional reform, a party-centred administrative regime appears to be emerging to add to the diversity of the regime types of the world.
A child sitting on a man's shoulder takes a picture as she visits the Bund waterfront area in Shanghai, China, on 5 July 2023. (Wang Zhao/AFP)

Is China’s good fortune reversing?

Whether China can prove naysayers wrong and keep up its good national fortunes depends on solving old problems associated with restarting the mechanisms of the Soviet Union model, and tackling new problems arising from successful development.
Chinese paramilitary police walk on the Bund promenade along the Huangpu river in the Huangpu district in Shanghai, China, on 15 June 2023. (Hector Retamal/AFP)

Can China maintain a hard line against the US?

In this key period of China’s rise, it can either choose to adopt a hard line or to cool down. History tells us that the hard line is likely to prevail, but China should be aware that this may lead to one overestimating its own strength, challenging the existing hegemon too soon, and ultimately meeting failure. The crucial question is whether the hard line is backed by wisdom. What China is going to do with the strength it has gained remains a puzzle to most countries, and this is the root of the perception of the Chinese threat.