Nope. In Chinese mythology, the universe consists of three layers called Kingdoms. The upper layer is heaven. The lower layer is the rest of the Earth other than China. The middle layer, unalterably higher and better in every way than the lower layer, is China.
China: less than Heaven, but better than all the Earth. Culturally better, racially better, eternally and necessarily better. They can’t not be better. They’re the Middle Kingdom, existing on a higher plane than all others. Just one small notch below Heaven itself.
They may never have the power to truly dominate. But they always have the will to do so and consider it no less than their birthright.
Other country’s founding mythologies tend more to primer inter pares. The ones that truly place themselves a cut above everyone else tend to let that go to their head within a century or two. It usually doesn’t end pretty.
Agree and agree. Unless …
The Brits expanded into the commercial vacuum that was the Industrial Revolution. Along with some good luck on colonial arrangements vs. e.g. France and Spain, they had a good long run until the vacuum was mostly filled by them and their late-to-the-party competitors. Then things entered a stasis that would have been interrupted by something if WWI & WWII hadn’t upset the apple cart for nearly all the world powers of the time.
The US expanded into the commercial and geo-political vacuum that was 1946. With some good luck on the Soviets not getting too frisky before they fell apart the US has had a good run so far. And may well run with their lead for quite awhile yet if they don’t get too lazy or too stupid or too greedy. Meanwhile, many of the US’ late-to-the-party competitors are chugging along nicely. Whether that be Germany, SK, Taiwan, or the PRC. IMO that 1946-era vaccum is just about full. So the music is coming to a stop on that particular phase in the long term game. We’ll see who finds a good seat when the music finishes fading and stasis sets in.
For China to really become as dominant as those earlier players did in their time there needs to be a new vacuum the Chinese succeed in exploiting better than the other contemporary contenders. Pushing incumbents out of entrenched niches is too expensive and usually too violent. As **Little Nemo **almost said, they’ll become a power when they figure out what the new way to be powerful is. And beat the others to it.
IMO the best candidate for that next vacuum, that new way of power is AI, smart human-free factories and all the rest of that SF-busy-turning-into-reality stuff that SamuelA likes to go on about.
If the Chinese master that tech first, or master it second but implement it faster than does the West (perhaps by being better at ignoring the complaints of their idled masses), they will be very hard to catch up to or to stop. I don’t want to hijack the thread with what-ifs on how this transition may play out.
But IMO this is the next big vacuum in human history and the country (or metanat :)) that masters it first will be *the *economic hegemon for several human generations at least. And will preside over a substantial remaking of human society. Whether what we might call “Western middle-classism” survives this transition is a darn good question. But for another thread.
Agree and agree again.
A lot of the power of the US vis-a-vis pre-EU Europe was entirely that although we were about the same size (economically and physically) as the EU area collectively, we were far more homogenous. Unitary size is a quantity with a helpful quality all its own. The Chinese are similarly situated where they dwarf everyone around them, India excepted. (And India’s always an exception to everything. :))
That huge size difference is a real advantage when they’re rising, on top, or better yet, on top and still rising. Just as it was (and maybe will be again), a huge disadvantage when they’re down and sinking further.
The big guy doesn’t win every fight, but it’s sure the way to bet unless you know a lot more of the secondary details.