An Excellent Question: "China’s stance is clear; why does the US still struggle to adjust its mind-set?"

The cartoon is quite apt. Do read the word on the glasses.

When I encountered this excellent question that’s the title of a Global Times editorial, I instantly flashed on the Kung Fu TV series that explored the differences between Eastern and Western thinking and their cultures. I then recalled a recent reference that was made to Pearl Buck’s The Good Earth that also made that effort in a much different way. The context of the remark was a comparison of today’s China with that depicted by Buck—certainly one of the greatest transformations in living conditions of a great mass of people in the space of 75 years, not quite four generations. There have even been some very good Western historians who’ve written excellent works about China’s history, its current situation, its politics, philosophy, and its economy. Traveling to China is easy to do, so there’s no excuse not to know about China and Chinese. Yet, many Western politicos seem incapable of learning and are stuck in an ideological dilemma where they can’t admit reality with some of the worst offenders acting as advisors to a series of Outlaw US Empire administrations. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s read what the Chinese have to say and then discuss further:

China’s stance is clear; why does the US still struggle to adjust its mind-set?

Amid all the news from Washington about China-US relations, one gets the increasing impression that certain politicians in the US are still living in a fantasy world of hegemonic dominance. They constantly talk about strength and power yet selectively ignore the real shifts in the global balance.

The real China is neither mysterious nor threatening, and certainly not following a script written by someone else. What is needed is removing some US politicians' ideological filters and seeing China for what it truly is—witnessing how its people are forging a uniquely Chinese path to modernization. Only then can one truly grasp the meaning of strength in today's world.

For decades, the US has approached other countries from a position of strength. Whether dealing with allies or what it deems rivals, it has long preferred to measure others by rules that the US alone established, to cloak power in the guise of values, and to use sanctions as a cover for the absence of true equality in negotiations.

This inertia of hegemony has made it progressively harder for Washington to view the world today with clarity and accuracy.

Trying to understand 21st-century China-US relations through the lens of 19th-century Western power rivalries is like attempting to power a high-speed train with a horse-drawn carriage engine: it is bound to go off the rails.

In fact, Washington's strategy toward China is a manifestation of the psychological contradiction surrounding power.

On one hand, the US constantly wields the stick of power, while on the other hand, it repeatedly claims that its strength is no longer what it once was and that it needs to be "great again."

As a result, Washington is now gripped by a deep anxiety over its declining hegemony. It's like a player on a basketball court who insists on acting as both referee and competitor. But as the game increasingly tilts away from its favor, it has stopped trying to defend the rules and instead rushes to seize control of the ball.

When Yang Jiechi, then top Chinese diplomat, said in Alaska that "the US does not have the qualification to say that it wants to speak to China from a position of strength," revealing the essence of the shifting balance of power in international politics, it was not an emotional outburst, but a statement of objective reality.

The future of China-US relations hinges not on whether Washington can maintain its "big brother" posture, but on whether it can learn to view this ancient civilization, which has reshaped globalization over the past 40 years, on an equal footing.

The key to unlocking the deadlock in China-US relations lies in the process of globalization itself: The two major powers are already deeply intertwined. Forcibly "decoupling" will only cause both sides to bleed endlessly. The only way forward is through equal dialogue. "Mutual respect" is not a diplomatic slogan, but a fundamental rule of survival that both countries must acknowledge.

China's attitude toward the US is now very clear: drawing red lines and setting rules—this is how adults interact. If the US fails to adjust its mind-set and continues to engage with China from a position of strength, seeking to impose its will through power, the tensions in China-US relations will only deepen.

Ultimately, relations between countries are like relationships between people. You cannot always rely on illusory strength to solve problems; you need genuine understanding and equal dialogue to find common ground. [My Emphasis]

It should be clear that China seeks balance and harmony in relations—all relations. IMO, historically the Outlaw US Empire has always viewed China as a weak power run by warlord gangsters, which is how Chaing Kai Shek was viewed during WW2 by US Generals Marshall and Stimson who had many direct contacts with him and his gang. Much can be learned from the time period leading to the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act that prohibited the immigration of Chinese labor for ten years. The history of Chinese contributions to the making of America have mostly been suppressed, particularly the building of the railroad across the Sierras, where they contributed engineering and other knowledge the white men lacked. As noted by many historians, the racism was “intense,” a few Kung Fu episodes explored that issue. Clearly, that level of racism still exists in the Federal government and elsewhere within the Outlaw US Empire thanks to an unrelenting propaganda blitz that only abated slightly when Nixon made his famous trip in 1971. Thus, the mere suggestion that China is better than the West is met with incredulity by the majority in the West.

China’s long and very colorful history is filled with many achievements that were made long before Europeans, which Europeans were mostly ignorant of. China’s lack of a God-head based religion was also seen as backwards—barbarian—since China’s advanced philosophy was incomprehensible to the West. Guns, drugs and steel made China into a semi-colony for all Europe and the USA which is where the Open Door Imperial policy was first implemented that’s now undergoing drastic change—the door to the Outlaw US Empire is only open if the Empire benefits the most from the transaction. China has advanced to the point where it doesn’t need access to that door much to the chagrin of Team Trump. Trump says he has cards while Xi says those cards are made in China—rock meets paper.

The Global Times continues to publish excellent reality based articles like “Using ‘semiconductor iron triangle’ as pledge of allegiance won’t win the game” that examines what I’d call the cowardly Japanese policy that’s alarming the Japanese public. Xi Jinping is on a state visit to Vietnam and is urging the Vietnamese government to stand up and oppose bullying, “Xi calls on China, Vietnam to oppose unilateral bullying.” And in closing, China’s 1Q trade report is out, and its summary can be read here. Tariff during the quarter was 20% while animosity at Trump’s actions has created a surge of Chinese nationalism: “There are other markets” is the mantra being heard in East Asia and elsewhere on the planet.

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