Letters | As US forgets the ‘American dream’, the century belongs to China

Name: Third night of violent protests in US state of Wisconsin after police shooting of Jacob Blake
Uploaded: 2020-10-04T22:15:12.000Z
Duration: 2 min 32 s
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China has far-reaching goals that it is working towards, but does not seek global dominance. Meanwhile, the US boasts a divided nation, a dysfunctional government, corrupted Congress, fragmented intelligence community, and a tainted law enforcement system

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A protester holds a US flag outside the Chinese consulate in Houston on July 24, after the US State Department ordered its closure, accusing diplomats of aiding IP theft. Photo: AFP

Letters

Published: 6:15am, 5 Oct 2020Updated: 6:15am, 5 Oct 2020

For all the frantic, often chaotic social and political engagement swirling about the United States these days involving presidential election integrity, a rigged voting system, government corruption, misinformation and the broken tax system that favours the wealthy over the common man, Americans may well be overlooking an even bigger problem: have we inadvertently consigned the “American dream” to the proverbial dustbin?

When considering whether the century belongs to China, many Americans are left to wonder: has the US reached the end of its journey? Is our so-called democracy on its last breath?

Look no further than what has become of the United States: a divided nation, a dysfunctional government, corrupted Congress, fragmented intelligence community, and a tainted law enforcement system.

02:32

Third night of violent protests in US state of Wisconsin after police shooting of Jacob Blake

When it comes to the debate over China, there are mainly two camps: the “pro” side focuses on China’s economic rise, and the increasing gap between its economic and political development, contending that the latter has not kept pace with the former.

Given China’s need for natural resources to fuel its economic growth, and its internal instabilities, the “pro” side believes China would grow increasingly belligerent and imperialist, economically if not militarily. Using history as a guide, look no further than the US’ trajectory after World War II.

The “con” side attributes China’s exponential growth to a “catch-up” phase, an assessment that could not be far from the truth, in my opinion. China developed a strategy over time that is now paying off. Beijing achieved its goals, and has more to look forward to once the Belt and Road Initiative is complete, its projects in the Arctic conclude, and its cooperation with Russia, despite their historical animosity, evolve beyond bilateral trade.

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Belt and Road Initiative explained

Those who do not want to acknowledge the inevitable rise of China have not understood China’s history and civilisation. The same individuals do not want to admit to the gradual decline of the US.

.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Letters | As US forgets the ‘American dream’, the century belongs to China

Letters | As US forgets the ‘American dream’, the century belongs to China