--- title: WikiLeaks' Assange on China's 'Reform Potential' | TIME description: In a Skype interview with TIME managing editor Rick Stengel, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange discusses the 'reform potential' of free speech in places like China canonical: https://time.com/video/0xeYSoch/ og:title: WikiLeaks' Assange on China's 'Reform Potential' og:description: In a Skype interview with TIME managing editor Rick Stengel, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange discusses the 'reform potential' of free speech in places like China og:url: https://time.com/video/0xeYSoch/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/0xeYSoch/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: WikiLeaks' Assange on China's 'Reform Potential' twitter:description: In a Skype interview with TIME managing editor Rick Stengel, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange discusses the 'reform potential' of free speech in places like China twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/0xeYSoch/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # WikiLeaks' Assange on China's 'Reform Potential' > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: WikiLeaks' Assange on China's 'Reform Potential' [Watch (HLS stream): WikiLeaks' Assange on China's 'Reform Potential'](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/0xeYSoch.m3u8) (1:45)  _Published 2010-12-01. In a Skype interview with TIME managing editor Rick Stengel, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange discusses the 'reform potential' of free speech in places like China_ --- Jul 27, 2023 3:07 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [Sweden Is Reopening the Rape Case Against WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange](/video/ihwVyaCw/) ### Sweden Is Reopening the Rape Case Against WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange [WikiLeaks' Julian Assange Retreats From Extradition Pledge](/video/z035eY75/) ### WikiLeaks' Julian Assange Retreats From Extradition Pledge [WikiLeaks Founder Assange on History's Top Leaks](/video/rNvCKBRZ/) ### WikiLeaks Founder Assange on History's Top Leaks --- ## Transcript >> Let me ask you about some other nations and your views of their role on the world stage. Certainly the rise of China, the power of Russia in the marketplace. They are two nations that compete with the U. S. in terms of wealth and influence. I mean, would you put them in the same category as countries that you would indeed like to expose some of their secret dealings the way you have done with American documents?- Yes, indeed. In fact, we believe it is the most closed societies that have the most reform potential. The Chinese case is quite interesting. Aspects of the Chinese government, Chinese Public Security Service, appear to be terrified of free speech, and while one might say that means that something awful is happening in the country, I actually think that is a very optimistic sign, because it means that speech can still cause reform and the power structure is still inherently political, as opposed to fiscal. So journalism and writing are, it is capable of achieving change, and that is why Chinese authorities are so scared of it. Whereas in the United States to a large degree, and in other Western countries, the basic elements of society have been so heavily fiscalized through contractual obligations that political change doesn't seem to result in economic change, which in other words means that political change *** CUT DICTATION *** ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"WikiLeaks' Assange on China's 'Reform Potential'","description":"In a Skype interview with TIME managing editor Rick Stengel, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange discusses the 'reform potential' of free speech in places like China","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/0xeYSoch/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2010-12-01T01:15:48.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/0xeYSoch.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/video/0xeYSoch/","duration":"PT1M45S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/video/0xeYSoch/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}} ```