Historian: Why Today’s America Is Akin to 1949 China The significance of the final outcome of the 2020 U.S. presidential election cannot be overstated, U.S.-based Chinese historian Xin Haonian said. He likened today’s America to China in 1949; adding, if Americans don’t want their country to follow China’s tragic fate, then they must choose a leader who is opposed to communism. Xin is the author of “One Country Two Systems and the Civil War of America” and “Which is the New China—Distinguishing Between Right and Wrong in Modern Chinese History.” He is also a popular speaker among Chinese expats in the West.