As the second hand ticks closer to midnight, our government continues to push us towards conflict with China. Not only do we face the threat of potential nuclear war, but the billions being spent militarizing the Asia Pacific is destroying the environment and leading us further and further away from our climate goals. 

In order to move the peace clock towards peace, we need to commit to peace with China. How can we do that? 

1.  Learn about China.

China is a vastly misunderstood country, and continues to be misrepresented in the media. With 5,000 long years of history, there is so much more to China than the hate-filled stories driven by the news.

The first thing you should do is learn more about China. Read books and watch movies about China's history and culture. We've put together a list of recommended sources to help you begin. 

Books:

• The East is Still Red by Carlos Martinez 
• Why the World Needs China by Kyle Ferrana 
• The New China Playbook: Beyond Socialism and Capitalism by Keyu Jin
• Red Star Over China by Edgar Snow 
• China and the World by Ken Hammond

Movies: 

• Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - In early 19th century China, Li Mu Bai goes on a great journey to find his stolen sword. 
• Ip Man - During the Japanese invasion of China, a wealthy martial artist is forced to leave his home. 
• The Farewell - A family discovers their grandmother’s days are numbered and plans a wedding to gather before she dies. 
• Red Cliff - The first installment about a battle fought during China’s Three Kingdoms period (220-280 A.D.)
• Walking to School - A movie about young Lisu (ethnic minority) children in China who risk their lives to go to school.

For more community engagement, you can also join our China Is Not Our Enemy Book Club. You'll find our latest meeting up on our Events page. 

2.  Make friends, not enemies.

All wars start with the creation of an enemy. Remember that Chinese people are not your enemy. They also want peace and friendship with the US, not war. Refrain from adopting the enemy mindset and from spreading propaganda that reinforces it. Commit to dialogue, understanding, and humanization. 

The US move to ban TikTok has backfired as millions of young people switch to alternative Chinese social media, demonstrating that what they've been told about the country is a lie

Follow #MOATS 413 #TikTok #RedNote @Jingjing_Li #China pic.twitter.com/YGrJi3DA1w

— George Galloway (@georgegalloway) January 15, 2025

3. Engage with your local Chinese community.

Choose to spend your money at local Asian-owned businesses instead of chains and corporations. In the past few years, as anti-China rhetoric dominated our news and media, Asian American hate crime rose, and many small family-owned businesses took the brunt of it. Show some love to these small businesses and bring your friends with you!

4.  Travel to China.

There’s no better way to cultivate a deeper understanding of a place than to travel and meet locals in the community. By engaging and connecting with people, you enable yourself to be a tool for peace rather than a weapon of war. 

Check out our Travel to China Resource Page for some helpful information about planning a trip. 

5. Join our biweekly community calls to learn more about China.

CODEPINK’s China Is Not Our Enemy community hosts bi-weekly meetings where we discuss recent events and our thoughts on waging peace with China. Meetings are every other Monday at 7pm ET / 4pm PT. You can find our latest meeting up on our Events page. 

We hope to see you there! 

Follow Our Social Media!