Chinese foreign policy is driven by real politik . Asia, and especially Southeast Asia, is their sphere of influence. It is a view similar to the 19 th century U.S. commitment to Manifest Destiny in the American West. It is their destiny to dominate this area, and they do not take kindly, or lightly, to outsiders telling them how to behave within their sphere of influence. To them, human rights of their citizens, the plight of Tibetans, and the use of prison labor, are, simply, none of our business.
China is a developing economy that requires enormous change.
The Chinese society is in the process of a dramatic and painful metamorphous. They have the daunting task of feeding over a billion people very day, and this must be the first priority. They cannot afford the luxury of failed economic experiments. Their focus must be at once on survival and growth. It requires a mindset fundamentally different than ours.