Hi Bicycle, <<Grand Hotel, a gaudy and wonderful confection on a hill in Taipei>> I agree with this part, but on the other parts, I think ...
(a) he takes the next 25-50 years of hard work for granted, as if it is done already;
(b) Successful Chinese kingdoms in the past, in the midst of other Chinese kingdoms, tended to maintain peace via relationships, counter-weights, position-ings, as opposed to invasion, and such direct methods, believing the most successful war is one fought without bloodshed, and so I believe Taiwan will not be defended by the US just as East Germany did not need to be invaded by Nato;
(c) But, yes, I agree with him, especially …
<<These folk can be packaged as exotic … In truth the Chinese were as exotic as potatoes, though not as mysterious>>
<<They were smart, though, and studious, and showing marked signs of economic competence … They have all the pieces for a ferocious competitiveness. Hong Kong is New York with slanted eyes: They can do entrepreneurial cut-throat hardball business. The better American universities are heavily Chinese. These fit naturally into a techno-industrial world>>
<<China is an enormous, old, and talented world that we know little of>> There certainly is a lot of relevant history that should be understood by leaders.
<<They can be every bit as domineering as Caucasians, and will be. They are racially and nationally arrogant>> Yup, I saw that side quite often as well, with my peculiar Creole hat on:0)
(d) <<How the West got the jump on them, I don’t know>> Combination of historic accident, and luck, combined with the march equation of time that made a civilization too contented with itself, while other civilizations are fidgety. It always works this way. Many contented civilizations failed as a result, and few remained viable to return to the game.
Bottom line, he is right, or more right than wrong, unless he is of the between the lines opinion that China's rise equates to China marching around in jackboots. Chinese are too selfish and smart too march around the world in jackboots. Chinese instead migrate and worry about the same things that others worry about ... food, shelter, education ... and often remind themselves "friends come and go, family and enemies are forever.
Chugs, Jay |
