So long as such discrepancies exist, Americans will perceive the growth of Chinese economic and military power to be threatening. From thwarting China's bid to hold the 2000 Olympics to putting up obstacles to its accession to the World Trade Organization, the modus operandi of the U.S. leadership is becoming ever more arbitrary with abstract struggles over ideology and politics. All this has forced Chinese intelligentsia to undertake yet another wholesale reassessment of the West, with the U.S. as its representative. In fact, with the prying apart of China and America in recent years, each side may benefit from being able to size up the other soberly. For two extraordinarily large powers such as China and the U.S., maintaining a distinct psychological distance is extremely important.
Western values is likely to be the demise of our national culture.
This deficiency alone destines them to be devoid of long-term, enlightened strategic thinking. It also dooms Sino-U.S. relations to periodic collisions. America is seen as bestowing favors upon China and, for that reason, gains the right and obligation to intervene in the Chinese historical process. In the context of great power relations, it is utter simplemindedness. As the 20th century closes, the Chinese people are tired of 100 years of revolution.