This blog provides the right forum to discuss China’s relationship with the world.
Where better to find a lack of bias, prejudice, and lack of fear of loss of favour? With nothing to gain there is nothing to lose.
China used to be the sensible partner in the communist corner of Asia.
Now North Korea and China are competing as to who is the sillier.
China does have the advantage of leverage. They can do as they choose more or less, before anyone complains. Complaining makes no difference anyway.
We always hoped for a benevolent world leader to replace a mostly benevolent US.
With the extraordinary history from which China has to draw, we should be optimistic. Even when there are signs this optimism is naive we can still count on the power of that history to be ultimately more generative than preoccupations with loss of face by which China is sometimes consumed.
However long Xi’s influence lasts, however long the principles of Communism sustain the nation’s momentum, China’s and Chinese good nature, born of experience and philosophy will triumph beyond this age of rebirth trauma.
We have learnt from recent US experience that silliness and power are bedfellows. They seem to come as a pair as if power is poison.
The antidote to poison is culture. Culture is like water which, as it travels along its course is purified. So will culture overwhelm short term matters of state.
Like a child learns how to play with a new toy with practice so will China learn how to flex its new muscle without breaking too much stuff. In doing so it will ultimately realise that loss of face is not the end of the world and provides no justification for aggression.
Ironically China holds the copyright both on wisdom and on humility.
China more than anything does not take kindly to advice or instruction. A lack of China readers here is fortunate!