Bill Maher on China

Bill Maher is a vocal critic of the People's Republic of China, frequently expressing alarm over the country's authoritarian governance and geopolitical rise. He has stated that the political left is too hesitant to criticize China because the nation is not white, analogizing this taboo by declaring that "China is like the new Islam" in terms of being an untouchable subject of critique in certain political circles. Maher has pointed to China's rapid development, such as building 500 cities from scratch and cornering markets in 5G and pharmaceuticals, as evidence that the U.S. is losing the "battle for the 21st century" due to its internal focus on "woke competition." He cites specific concerns, including the country’s alleged development of malware that can access civilian texts and the handling of the COVID-19 origins, which he believes was suppressed due to accusations of racism against looking into the Wuhan lab-leak theory.

He argues that while the United States suffers from deep political divisions and internal focus, China moves forward with state-directed investment and massive infrastructure projects, though he tempers this by noting the country remains relatively poor compared to the U.S. on an individual income basis and has significant issues with building quality and capital controls. Maher often suggests that genuine honesty about the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party is obstructed by domestic ideological constraints within American politics. He contrasts the desire of Chinese citizens to move to the U.S. with the lack of Americans seeking to emigrate to China, indicating a fundamental superiority in the American system, despite its acknowledged flaws.