Melissa Chen links her free-speech concerns to US-China rivalry

SUMMARY

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Melissa Chen says her upbringing in Singapore shaped both her concern about speech restrictions and her view of American security. After moving to the US for university, she came to see pressure from peers and institutions as a form of self-censorship. She now works in business intelligence and argues that Chinese influence, AI development and the fentanyl trade pose threats to the US. Chen also says free speech and the US federal system give Americans ways to challenge policies and correct mistakes.

1Singapore’s speech restrictions influenced Chen’s decision to leaveShe describes growing up in a society that prioritized order and says restrictions affecting social and religious harmony felt suffocating.
2Chen says peer pressure on campus encouraged self-censorshipShe contrasts pressure from peers, university administrators and social media with the government restrictions she associated with Singapore.
3Her work now focuses on exposure to ChinaChen says her business intelligence firm analyzes China exposure for companies, nongovernmental organizations and governments.
4Chen worries Chinese AI systems could spread censorshipShe argues that limits on politically sensitive answers may influence norms elsewhere if such systems become widely used.
5Chen links the fentanyl trade to a wider US-China conflictShe describes supply chains involving China and Mexican cartels and characterizes the trade as a way of undermining the US.
6Chen sees free speech and federalism as ways to correct policyShe argues that decentralized government and public expression allow Americans to challenge mistakes and seek changes.

Takeaways

Chen says experiencing speech restrictions in Singapore made freedom of expression central to her decision to move to the US.
She believes social and institutional pressure on American campuses can also produce self-censorship.
Chen argues that competition over AI matters because dominant systems can shape the information and norms other countries use.
She links the fentanyl trade to China and characterizes it as a strategic threat to the US.
Chen believes free speech and the US federal system make political correction possible.

TopicsFree Speech Geopolitics Political Philosophy

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Leaving Singapore for the United States

Chen describes a childhood shaped by order, speech restrictions and her father’s security work. She says she wanted the freedoms she associated with America.

I believe China is the biggest threat to the United States today and that it has worked to influence American institutions in pursuit of its strategic goals. My view comes in part from growing up in Singapore and later moving to the US, where I became interested in free speech and national security.

I was born in Singapore and raised in a conservative Methodist household. I remember a society that placed a high priority on law and order, with fines for various activities. I found restrictions on speech that disrupts social or religious harmony suffocating, and wanted to live in America from the time I was in high school.

My father worked in military intelligence for Singapore's Ministry of Defense. Through his work, I grew up thinking about national security and the importance of US protection to smaller countries. I saw the US Navy's role in securing trade routes as particularly relevant to Singapore's position as a trading port.

Campus pressure and the decision to write

Chen recounts her first impressions of the US and says social and institutional pressure encouraged self-censorship. She explains why she began writing about politics.

I arrived in Boston at 17 to attend university. I was excited, but the condition of roads and bridges and the homelessness I saw near campus surprised me after Singapore. Over time I also became concerned about ideas concerning race and identity and what I saw as an increasingly rigid campus environment.

I experienced pressure over who could speak and whose views were considered credible. Unlike the government restrictions I associated with Singapore, I saw the pressure coming from peers, administrators and social media. I believe it encouraged anxiety and self-censorship, and it reminded me of the environment I had left.

That experience led me to write about politics and cultural conflict. During the COVID period, I challenged what I saw as the prevailing presentation of attacks on Asian people. I believed the problem was being presented as an epidemic of anti-Asian hate in a way that did not match my understanding of what was happening, and I say that taking that position drew criticism.

Why Chen sees China as a strategic threat

Chen discusses her work analyzing China exposure and her concerns about influence, AI and fentanyl supply chains. She presents these as part of a wider geopolitical rivalry.

As I paid more attention to China, I came to believe that some media and business leaders misunderstood its economic development and political values. I argue that the Chinese Communist Party's values conflict with those of the US, and that a more powerful China could pressure other countries to adopt its norms.

I left journalism to work at a business intelligence firm that analyzes exposure to China for companies, nongovernmental organizations and governments. I argue that Chinese influence in American institutions is part of a strategy to advance China's interests and displace the US as the leading global power.

I see AI and space as areas of particular concern. I worry that if Chinese AI systems become dominant, limits on answers to politically sensitive questions could be carried into tools used elsewhere. I point to questions about Tiananmen Square as an example and argue that control over technology could also shape international norms.

I contrast my account of political surveillance and limited political choice in China with the freedoms I value in the United States. I argue that a Chinese-led international order would carry the influence of those domestic practices. This is one reason I view the competition over technology and institutions as consequential.

I also link the US fentanyl crisis to China, saying that chemicals used in production and pill-making equipment have come from China and that Mexican cartels manufacture drugs using them. I characterize that trade as part of an effort to undermine the US, and describe the risk to people who take counterfeit pills without knowing they contain fentanyl.

Why Chen remains optimistic about American institutions

Chen argues that free speech and federalism provide mechanisms for correction. She contrasts this with her assessment of China’s political system.

Despite these concerns, I believe the US has institutions capable of correcting mistakes. Free speech and the distribution of power among federal, state and local governments are central to that belief. I point to people moving between states as one signal that policies can be challenged and changed.

I contrast that system with my assessment of China, where I say people have less ability to choose representatives or speak freely. I remain committed to what I regard as the American way of life and believe its freedoms need to be protected.