China’s strident tone raises concerns among Western governments, analysts – Washington Post

In today’s Washington Post a piece entitled China’s strident tone raises concerns among Western governments, analysts speaks to the worry that Western governments and Asian trading partners have over China’s newfound confidence on the world stage.  An economically strong China is a good thing for all of us while an arrogant and out of touch tyrant is a prominent danger.  Which is China?  Is China both?

Here is an excerpt:

“Analysts say a combination of hubris and insecurity appears to be driving China’s mood. On one hand, Beijing thinks that the relative ease with which it skated over the global financial crisis underscores the superiority of its system and that China is not only rising but has arrived on the global stage — much faster than anyone could have predicted. On the other, recent uprisings in the western regions of Tibet and Xinjiang have fed Chinese leaders’ insecurity about their one-party state. As such, any perceived threat to their power is met with a backlash.”

China has once again reason to expect the fruits of world dominance in many areas.  We now we have to deal with that fact.

This ain’t going to be pretty.

CWO3 Tom Barnes, USCG (Ret.)