We live in a world dominated by two economic superpowers, which do not know how to talk to each other. The US and China are like computers running on different operating systems.
China has a very long history, and it is defined by the rise & fall of dynasties; good centuries are followed by bad centuries. The US has a very short history, and every since 1776, the country has travelled towards greater national power, and personal prosperity.
The American belief in universal values such as freedom and democracy differs from the Chinese belief of “what is right for China is not necessarily right for the world”. This creates a different approach to intervention in foreign conflicts and the protection of human rights.
Being American means embracing some ideas. If you live in the states long enough, you or your children will end up embracing the American ideas and will eventually become American. Being Chinese has a more ethnically based view. You can move to China but it is unlikely that you or your children will ever become Chinese.
Americans stress the rights of the individual, while Chinese stress the interests of the community.
The idea of the Middle Kingdom is rooted in China’s past. Some describe it as “the extraordinary conviction of the Chinese people that their land is in the centre of everything”.
The US has become accustomed to its role as the world’s sole superpower.
It is comforting to discover that there is at least one respect in which China and the US are very similar. The trouble is that while both countries may regards themselves as the “Middle Kingdom”, they cannot be both right.
