America 'Blacklists' World's Biggest Game Company for Alleged Connections to Foreign Adversary
Politics are downstream of culture, and that grows truer by the day. And it’s become especially true with regard to pop culture.
Entertainment and technology are key parts of pop culture, so we’re taking you to the front lines of the culture war by addressing some of the best — and strangest — stories from that world in this recurring column exclusive to members of The Western Journal.
One of the most ubiquitous — if somewhat unknown, given that it’s not a Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft — entities in all of video games is Chinese powerhouse Tencent.
(The company is also a social media giant.)
Tencent, the world’s largest video game company with its tendrils in all manner of companies (roughly 800, according to the Video Games Chronicle), was recently slapped down by the U.S. government for allegedly having shady ties to the Chinese military.
According to a report in the New York Times, the Pentagon made this decision Monday, in what the outlet described as the “latest action in an escalating series of retaliatory moves between the world’s two superpowers.”
This action appeared to have triggered a swift reaction.
“Tencent’s shares in the United States plunged by nearly 10 percent after the decision by the Defense Department, which also targeted Chinese battery, drone and shipping companies,” the Times added.
Tencent was added to what VGC described as a government “blacklist.”
Of note, this blacklist does not actually contain any sanctions; however, the Pentagon “discourages American companies from dealing with its members,” VGC reported.
Tencent described the move as a “misunderstanding.”
“We are not a military company or supplier,” Tencent representative Danny Marti told The Verge. “Unlike sanctions or export controls, this listing has no impact on our business.
“We will nonetheless work with the Department of Defense to address any misunderstanding.”
Drone- and battery-making company CATL, which was also “blacklisted,” has similarly denied any wrongdoing or connection to the Chinese military.
Whatever the truth of the matter may be — whether the U.S. government is just playing a game of political tit-for-tat or if Tencent and CATL actually are arms of the Chinese military — it should raise some red flags.
First, and easily foremost, this cannot be stressed enough: China is not America’s friend, in any way, shape, or form. The two superpowers tolerate each other at best — and openly loathe what the other represents at worst.
A nigh-dictatorship like China will always be incompatible with American values. In fact, many Asian values will seem foreign to Americans, because that’s how different the cultures are.
The fact that so many gamers and consumers ignore this reality to gleefully play Chinese games without a shred of introspection is just proof that Chinese propaganda is working. And that’s an objectively terrifying thought.
Whether we’re talking privacy or cyber-security, China isn’t terribly concerned about yours. This has borne true time and time again throughout history.
Secondly, the mere fact that a video game company — even the biggest one ever — is being blacklisted shows how exactly China is targeting America.
You know the whole “China’s TikTok app only shows educational videos, while American TikTok is used for insidious purposes” anecdotes? They’re true.
That’s perhaps the most sobering red flag of all: China has already infiltrated major American pop culture.
And, as mentioned at the very beginning, politics are downstream of culture — which could explain the sudden rise of far-left fascism in the United States over the last decade.
Yes, Tencent is “only” a video game company.
But what it represents is far more insidious than having Super Mario best Bowser or rearranging falling blocks. Tencent represents a power-grab and cultural influence, things that go far beyond a video game’s closing credits.
People need to be warned.
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