Letter: 'Americans Ought To Worry About China's Rise'

Philip T. writes from China:

I am a graduate student in Chinese history currently here in China for what will be a year doing research for my Ph.D. I very much agree with Kishore Mahbubani's observation that the Western (esp. American) media seems employ a "self-congratulatory discourse" that exaggerates the shortcomings of China and its competitive disadvantages vis-a-vis the U.S. In most cases, I know there is no malicious or conspiratorial intent behind the rhetoric. I am no apologist for the current regime; nor am I ignorant of the economic, political, social, and environmental problems China faces. I think the issues your show and others raise are real, and I also think that Chinese society itself would benefit from a more open and free discussion of the multitude of problems China faces.

Nonetheless, I think that many Western journalists have employed the same boilerplate language or unquestioned ideas for so long (i.e. "countries can't develop a modern economy without democracy/civil society/creativity/etc.") that they have failed to see what really is happening on the ground in China. I think Americans ought to worry about China's rise not because they should fear the rise of a formidable competitor, but because it seems that the U.S. is simply not ready for the challenge.

China has kept its fiscal house in order, amassed huge foreign reserves, and has flexed its diplomatic muscle on the world stage. It sells *useful* manufactured goods while the U.S. exports agricultural products (e.g. chicken feet) and mountains of debt. Its focused leadership has delivered tangible (if uneven) economic prosperity to many people. The gleaming infrastructure and rising standards of living are real. The U.S., on the other hand, seems stuck in engaging in solipsistic political, social, and cultural debates that are diverging further and further from reality as more and more challenges emerge.