Steve Chapman on China as Its Own Worst Enemy

To achieve any ambitious goal, you
have to want it badly enough to work and sacrifice. But there is
such a thing as trying too hard. Overzealous pursuit of your
heart’s desire can end up chasing it away. The Chinese government
may be learning that right now. China, a great civilization brought
low by foreign powers in the 19th and 20th centuries, has long
burned to acquire a global stature corresponding to its self-image.
Its transformation from an economic catastrophe to an export
machine has made it a much bigger player in world affairs. But
sometimes, writes Steve Chapman, efforts to assert itself generate
not respect and cooperation but fear and resistance.

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