Claim: Kam Wong not only argues that the dynamics of imperial China form the basis for contemporary Chinese understandings of terrorism, but also argues that fear of chaos and social disorder is a powerful factor in mobilizing political will.
Evidence: Kam Wong argues that the dynamics of imperial China form the basis for contemporary Chinese understandings of terrorism. Fear of chaos and social disorder is a powerful factor in mobilizing political will to combat potential threats. In the modern context, any group or force with the potential to challenge the existing social order or the political security of the rulers may be considered a form of terrorism, "to be condemned unrelentingly and suppressed at all costs," according to Wong. In that setting, political criminality took the form of violence against the emperor, and was viewed as harmful as it induced fear and led to "chaos."