In their handling of the incident, Chinese leaders have had to satisfy not only hawkish and politically influential generals but also ambitious public expectations fed by their own nationalistic propaganda. The answer is a linguistic compromise in the letter handed Wednesday by U.S. Ambassador Joseph Prueher to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. The Communist Party came to power in 1949 at the end of what Chinese view as one of the most galling eras in their long, chaotic history. Starting in the mid-1800s, Western powers and Japan forced open imperial China and set about dismembering it into foreign concessions. Treaties signed at gunpoint exempted foreign residents from Chinese law.
China displays a curiously split personality.
Its accomplishments in business and sports instill national pride. Yet the government doesn't hesitate to describe itself as poor and weak when faced with requests to take on international obligations or show restraint in relations with its neighbors over such issues as control of the South China Sea. And most Chinese believe the United States has done something wrong and it should apologize. Terms of use. All rights reserved.