Chinese opinion articles are getting erudite! Here the writer warns against the Thucydides syndrome (war tends to erupt between established and emerging countries.) The writer makes a salutary point that world trade is not a zero sum game. I agree, the world should welcome the full flowering of Chinese genius, that which we have been denied for far too long.
In the West the news tends to focus on Chinese military activities and the putative Chinese threat. Yes, China is doing joint maneuvers with the Russian navy, and yes they can ready everything the NSA reads. But that would miss 92% of where Chinese efforts are directed.
The Chinese are quietly becoming world class in every field. Pick a classic program, Latin and Greek, and there Chinese students assiduously studying in Universities around the world. Laugh at that if you like, but your disdain of Latin and Greek is socially conditioned: the powers that be do not want you to know they have done this all before, step by step. If you were a Latin of Greek scholar (or better yet both) you'd know what the bad guys were going to do next. We've seen all this before... divide et impera.
And it is not just Latin and Greek, it is every single field. Military might is a flimsy shell upon which to depend, China is backfilling with solid cultural stuff. Worldwide. The writer's handling of Thucydides may be tentative, but China;s first electronics efforts were risible. They now make Apple computers.
USA efforts at empire are suicidal. The USA was never designed to be an empire, so we are awkward at it anyway, but we might recover some of our original intent if we were to withdraw from this imperialism that leaves us isolated worldwide, and get back to Americanism that would have us engaging at the business and cultural level with the world.
Feel free to forward this by email to three of your friends.
In the West the news tends to focus on Chinese military activities and the putative Chinese threat. Yes, China is doing joint maneuvers with the Russian navy, and yes they can ready everything the NSA reads. But that would miss 92% of where Chinese efforts are directed.
The Chinese are quietly becoming world class in every field. Pick a classic program, Latin and Greek, and there Chinese students assiduously studying in Universities around the world. Laugh at that if you like, but your disdain of Latin and Greek is socially conditioned: the powers that be do not want you to know they have done this all before, step by step. If you were a Latin of Greek scholar (or better yet both) you'd know what the bad guys were going to do next. We've seen all this before... divide et impera.
And it is not just Latin and Greek, it is every single field. Military might is a flimsy shell upon which to depend, China is backfilling with solid cultural stuff. Worldwide. The writer's handling of Thucydides may be tentative, but China;s first electronics efforts were risible. They now make Apple computers.
USA efforts at empire are suicidal. The USA was never designed to be an empire, so we are awkward at it anyway, but we might recover some of our original intent if we were to withdraw from this imperialism that leaves us isolated worldwide, and get back to Americanism that would have us engaging at the business and cultural level with the world.
Feel free to forward this by email to three of your friends.
4 comments:
John,
Since China is becoming a world leader in everything apparently and superseding the U.S., is it worth it to learn Chinese?
I was hoping knowing English is still enough for being an entrepreneur in world trade.
Everyone should know a second language for cultural reasons, not necessarily business reason, but english will be the language of trade for the next several hundred years, just as latin outlived imperial Rome.
I barely speak english, let alone a second language. Sigh.
I think that China and America are very interdependent economically, very much more for China. If China went to war with America, what do you think would happen to China's economy?
China accounts for only 2.96% of what USA buys, and USA probably accounts for less that that of USA good. 20 years ago trade was near zero. A complete cut off of trade would probably not matter much, except prices would go up around the world.
God forbid we ever go to war...
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