Chinese diplomacy - The Bruce Lee Way

China is now one of two super powers in the world. This status of a super power did not come easy and it is only in recent years that these words reluctantly slipped out of the lips of westerners. For a long time, they had always took the position that China was not there yet with all kinds of lies and excuses. Now China is a de facto super power and in many areas already ahead of the Americans. But this stature did not come with the respect that a super power should be accorded, and often, not only the Americans would be doing the bullying and threatening, even small pariah states would also stand up to shout at China with total disregard to their own little stature in all aspects as a state.

Today, daily, the Americans have been doing their best to belittle China, to smear China, to demonise China and with China barely throwing back any punches other than some weak attempts to avoid a direct confrontation with the aggressive and thuggish Americans.  As long as China continues to behave the way it is, walking away from a fight, the Americans would keep on pushing, taking the avoidance as a sign of weakness and an invitation to throw a few punches.

China must change its way in dealings with the Americans and other smaller powers and small little countries if it wants to keep trouble away. The best way to deal with them is the Bruce Lee Way. Bruce Lee did not get any respect from the Americans and the West by being nice. He tried to initially but was taken for a ride. They continued to treat him like a sick man of Asia, to be taken advantage of and not to be taken seriously, not to be respected.

After trying for several years to be nice and thinking that his sincerity and talent would be accepted by the West, by Hollywood, he learned a painful lesson, in a hard way. They cheated him again and again and ignored his ability. They simply refused to accept him or to respect him because he was Chinese, except when they needed him to do things the westerners could not do, like the role of Kato in Green Hornet or the part of Grasshopper in the serial Kung Fu. The serial Green Hornet was terminated prematurely when they found out that Bruce Lee's role as Kato was more popular than the main actor played by a westerner.  So insulting. In the case of Kung Fu, they sweet talked Bruce Lee to teach David Carradine kung fu only to have him to take over the starring role as Grasshopper.

Bruce Lee decided to fight his way to be recognised and respected. He fought everyone that came his way, defeated them, to gain fame and dignity. This was and is the only language the West understand. China has to fight to be respected. Being nice and diplomatic would only be pushed and kicked around by the Americans and by little countries. There is no other way if China wants to be recognised as a big power, to be taken seriously, other than to carry the big stick and to whack the daylight out of any one that tries to be mischievous.

History has also taught the world that being able to kick asses is the only way to be looked up to, even in fear, and be taken seriously, not as a joke. Look at how the ex colonial people respect their former colonial masters till today after being conquered, ruled, abused, looted and robbed of everything, including their country and dignity. They still held their colonial masters in high regards, and hated China because China did not conquer and rule them but tries to be nice to them, gave them aids, low interest loans with no strings attached, helped them build their infrastructures, only for them to turnaround to badmouth China and to ally with the Americans to attack China.

China not only has to confront the Americans head on, punch for punch, but also to kick asses when little countries try to be funny and mischievous. Niceties would only encourage and embolden little countries to go against China thinking China is a lame power.

China needs to stand up a second time, to tell the trouble makers that China is a super power and would kick asses when provoked.  China must make the world know that it has arrived and means business and not to be mucked around. The frivolous and provocative freedom of navigation operations conducted by the Americans and western powers must be treated as such, hostile and unfriendly and must be challenged with equally unfriendly responses. Only then would these mischievous trouble makers know their place and allow China to have peace in its backyard. Trying to be nice and avoid a confrontation would means endless trouble for China in its neighbouring seas.

It is time China take a stand, a militant and firm stand against all trouble makers, especially the Americans and its mischievous allies and lackeys. China must adopt the Bruce Lee way if it wants to be taken seriously as super power, to be respected if not feared. Its diplomacy of minding its own business and walking away from trouble when provoked is obsolete and not working and must be discarded. Walk with a big stick and swing it when needed, when silly little countries stand in its way. That is the only language the silly little countries understood, and the Americans too, will know that they have to stop their bullying.  China has stood up in the international arena as a super power and will behave as a super power, confident of its power and willingness to use its power when confronted.

The day China stands up, it is the day the Americans and silly little countries would stop creating trouble with China. Until today, several decades after he passed away, Bruce Lee is still respected all over the world because he stood up and fought to be respected. No one or country would respect anyone or country trying to be nice but weak and when slapped, would turn the other cheek.