Writes Minxin Pei:
The latest news from Beijing is indicative of Chinese weakness: a persistent slowdown of economic growth, a glut of unsold goods, rising bad bank loans, a bursting real estate bubble, and a vicious power struggle at the top, coupled with unending political scandals. Many factors that have powered China’s rise, such as the demographic dividend, disregard for the environment, supercheap labor, and virtually unlimited access to external markets, are either receding or disappearing.
Yet China’s declining fortunes have not registered with U.S. elites, let alone the American public.
Do read the rest of the article. I’ve said as much on this blog before, and there is certainly no reason to fear a rising Beijing. Nor is there a good reason to spend more money on East Asian “defense” projects or stifle growth at home by throwing up isolationist tariffs. (h/t Daniel Larison)
Notes On Liberty 
One explanation may be that most Americans do not truly understand what is going on in their own country. They know our situation is not as good as it could be or even should be, but they have no inclination to participate in reshaping how our country is run.
Voter turnout is generally lower in America than in most other western democratic nations. I’m not condemning that. If you listen to the average person voice their opinion as to why things are the way they are; it becomes readily apparent that their intellectual bank is supplied by random sound bites with no depth and very little understanding of anything beneath the surface. In these instances, I hope that the majority of these voters opt to hang around for an extra slice of pizza or a possible sale at some store and skip voting altogether.
China is a nation full of people. It is led by people who, like American leaders, are generally out of their depth in the areas they govern and refuse to reassess themselves and their beliefs even in instances where failure is obvious.
China is a in a position where smart negotiators could forge a relationship in trade that encourages the Chinese government to curtail or end their currency manipulations and to put more emphasis on the quality of their exports from a health and safety perspective.
China is no more responsible for jobs and industries leaving the U.S. than a sling shot is for putting another man on the moon. High corporate taxes and over regulation in a competitive global economy where not everyone plays by the rules puts American businesses in jeopardy if they try to hold pat and remain within U.S. borders.
Class warfare only serves to exacerbate the above and contributes nothing to fixing our economy. In fact, it makes each side even more recalcitrant and entrenched in their positions because the debate has become personal. Most Americans would benefit by subscribing to English versions of Chinese newspapers, both a mainland paper and one from Hong Kong.
They might learn that China is having political and potential military problems with the Philippines and Japan, among others over disputed islands and other issues. They are dealing with declining exports because better products are available for import from other nations. Some industries have left China for other nations where regulation and political red tape are more amenable to business success.
Our leaders don’t help matters much by vilifying China as they attempt to cover their own incompetence by pointing without justification to China as some sort of bogeyman. I don’t hold out much hope for a number of my countrymen growing up and becoming more rational in this regard until we get legislators, presidents and presidential candidate who are elected after they’ve first acquired grown up skills, manners and reasoned minds.
I couldn’t have said it any better myself, Rick!
As usual, your article is top shelf. Thank you, Brandon. My best to you and yours.