China had been living like Ah Q for a long time. When China was weak
and poor, behaving like Ah Q is a forced act. The pride and dignity of a
5000 year Civilisation would not allow China to act and behave like Ah
Q forever. But circumstances were such that not behaving like Ah Q would bring
more harm to China. So China went about heads bowed, minding its own
business and let the world went by, not heard, not seen, as if China did
not exist.
The China today does not need to bow its head anymore.
The days of being Ah Q is over. But why is there a need for China to
keep telling the Americans to treat China as an equal? Why is there a
need for China to make appeasing comments like the world is big enough
for China and the USA, that China is not going to challenge or replace
the USA. The USA can continue to be the hegemon of the world, that China
is a friend, not an enemy?
On the other hand the Americans
are openly, and secretly, telling the world, telling China, that China is
their enemy number one. And the Americans are going all out to bring
down China, opposing China, attacking China, undermining and demonising
China, and sanctioning Chinese companies, raising tariffs at every
instance and opportunity. And China could only look dumb and take the
walloping as a price to pay to be number two.
The Americans are
treating the Chinese not as an equal, as a secondary power, as an enemy!
Get it? And China has to take all the blame for it. When China keeps
behaving like a toothless power, as inferior to the Americans, the
Americans will treat China as such. China must grow up, know its proper
place in the equation and stand up to be equal or better than the
Americans. But every action of China now is that of a smaller power, an
unequal power. And the Americans know it and will not deal with China as
an equal.
It is pointless and futile to keep telling the
Americans to treat China as an equal. This is exactly the behaviour of
an unequal partnership. The only time when the Americans saw China as an
equal was in Alaska. But it was a brief moment, a flash in the pan, and
the Chinese have forgotten how and why and have gone back to behave
like an unequal partner.
The Americans are still calling the shot,
setting the agenda, dictating how the Chinese should behave, and the
Chinese obliged, behaving exactly the way the Americans want them to
behave, a small power under the might of the American Empire. The
Americans can do what they want, slap the Chinese, kick the Chinese, and
the Chinese smile or turn and offer the other cheek. How can China
expect the Americans to treat them as equal when they cannot behave like
an equal?
The Americans can tell the Chinese, we are coming to
China to talk to you. The Chinese said yes and let the Americans set
the agenda. Most of the time the Americans would be in China to lecture
the Chinese on human rights, chiding the Chinese on fabricated charges
and lies, bullying and threatening the Chinese to do this or that or
else. And this is supposed to be a talk between two equal powers.
The
sad thing, the Chinese never learn to say no and keep allowing the
Americans to dictate to them, to set the agenda on what to talk about.
How can China be equal to the Americans when they are afraid to say no
to the Americans, afraid to show the middle finger to the Americans,
afraid to close the door to the Americans?
To be treated equally,
as an equal to the Americans, the Chinese must act and behave like an
equal, to set the agenda, to say no when they have to. Do not let the
Americans push China around. There are times when China has to stand up
like a man and throw a few punches or a few slaps if needed.
For
starters, China must decide when they will let the Americans to visit or
call on Chinese leaders. China must not welcome any unfriendly visitors
coming to China to talk about fake human rights or meddle in China's
internal affairs, or be shown the door immediately, no more talks.
China
must sanction all unfriendly political leaders that meddle in China's
internal affairs, visiting Taiwan. Banned them from visiting China and
Greater China. This is an important message that China must make or
every little clown or girl will think it is ok to attack China or visit
Taiwan. This is the least a superpower of equal status must do and
behave, to be respected if not feared.
If China is afraid even to
deal with a puny little Mickey Mouse in the South China Sea, how can it
be respected as an equal to the American gangsters? China should stop
begging to be treated as an equal. This would come only if China acts
and behaves like an equal to the USA. Period.
The Chinese have
been appeasing the Americans for years, begging and pleading to the
Americans to be treated as an equal. Did the Americans care or start
treating the Chinese as an equal? If they do, the Chinese have no need
to beg for it anymore. Get smart and be real. When you are weak, the
Americans would treat you as such. If China chooses to behave like a
sick cat, why would the Americans want to treat China as an equal?
China
must stop behaving like an Ah Q now! Stand up to be seen and recognised
as an equal by your acts and behaviour. No one, not the Americans or
the Global South nation states would respect China as an equal if it
continues to behave meekly when provoked or challenged.
PS. I have to repeat this message until it sinks into the heads of the Chinese leaders.
There is a Chinese saying,
面子是别人给的，脸是自己丢的.
Why would China allow gangsters and rogues to come to China, like
letting them into the house, to scold their father and mother and wife?
And to make matter worse, the gangsters and rogues told China beforehand
that they are coming to scold their father, mother and wife, and China
agreed! And when they started scolding, China stood there smiling. How
to gain respect from the Americans, to be treated as equal when you
behaved as inferior to the Americans, got bullied and cheated all the
time by the Americans and do nothing about it? You cannot expect the
Americans to treat you differently if you keep behaving the same meek
way all the time.
