Jean Kayu is fluent in English and French, studied at Harvard and teaches at LSE London. Despite this, it remains proudly Chinese. Many Europeans and Americans are surprised when Chinese peoplewho have tasted the best the West has to offer, continue to favor their homeland.

But how can they ignore the oppression of the Uighurs and Tibetans? Pollution? Threats to Taiwan? Western observers are perplexed. Jin, who recently published a book on contemporary China, does not ignore her country’s problems, determined to see them in a new light, free from Western prejudice. 95% of Chinese say they trust their government, although they understand that their country’s government is undemocratic.

Only 33% of Americans trust their government. “The Chinese want the government to intervene in social and economic issues, and do not consider this a violation of their personal rights,” Jin writes. In his book, Jin describes the Chinese economic miracle, emphasizing that the Chinese leadership is “seeking” to prevent a widening income gap, which is a source of suspicion and extremism. China requires its business to be “hefa, eel and hedging” (legitimate, reasonable and empathetic).

In an interview Jin gave me last week, I asked her if she was holding back her prose so as not to offend the Chinese leadership. “I don’t mean political issues. My focus is on economics. Perhaps it should be noted that in China the problems that concern society in the first place are of a local nature. “The Chinese don’t have a very high opinion of America,” says the author.

Of particular interest is Jean’s description of the “municipal economy” and the importance of local government. China is trying to enforce meritocracy in its bureaucratic institutions (although cases of corruption remain). Civil servants who do well are transferred to enhance their experience.

Elected local government officials used to be concerned with productivity, pushing state-owned enterprises to increase production of steel, cement, etc. Today, according to Jin, mayors are dedicated to highlighting the creativity of the private sector.

When I asked Jin if President Xi Jinping was trying to regain control of the economy on behalf of the state, she advised me not to dwell on grandiose government announcements. “The most reliable indicator of the state of the Chinese economy has been the painfully slow recovery of the national economy from the pandemic crisis. The suspicious attitude of the government towards the private sector is responsible for this delay,” Jean says.

While many in the West note a new trend among Chinese youth to challenge traditional standards of personal and professional success, Jin insists that youth in China remain socially and politically active. “Young people in China are open, socially conscious, more tolerant and willing to embrace diversity. But that doesn’t make them pro-American. They love Hollywood, the NBA, and traveling to the West, but that doesn’t change their respect and love for Chinese culture. Their main goal is to avoid American-style capitalism. They would like to become a bigger and smarter Germany with controlled capitalism,” says the author.