West must not 'demonize' China, Confucian scholar Daniel Bell warns

Writer and professor says making Chinese leaders paranoid is dangerous

Daniel Bell signing copies of his book, "The Dean of Shandong," at the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents' Club. (Courtesy of Daniel Bell)

ZOE FRECHIN-POLLARD, Nikkei staff writer

November 26, 2023 19:00 JST

Updated on November 27, 2023 20:37 JST

LONDON -- The West's "demonization" of China leads indirectly to a restriction of academic freedom and increased security threats, prominent Confucian scholar Daniel Bell said recently at an event held by a London university.

Bell is chair of political theory at the University of Hong Kong's Faculty of Law and has written several books, including his latest about life as an academic in China, "The Dean of Shandong." He lived in mainland China for 18 years and now resides in Hong Kong.