Sucks, but the so-called “second world” is witnessing what sees as brisk business, deals with anyone from Canada to Taliban Afghanistan.
However I do not sugarcoat the fact that some countries are now handing themselves from one falling hegemony with another, one that allows greater reckless capitalism but devalues individual personal freedoms.
I think the valid complaints you can levy towards China are similar in respect to any nation that is becoming a dominant superpower. I think the problem that most people are having is that they weren’t around when the US or European powers were securing their own hegemony.
Pretty much any developing superpower is going to have an issue with nationalism, historical revisionism, and eyeballing territorial/cultural expansion. I am Korean and have had quite a few Chinese friends. Of those friends opinions can vary greatly depending on where their from and when they migrated. What I can attest too is that recent migrants from the mainland tend to be very nationalistic and have some very worrying opinions about history compared to the Chinese people I grew up around. Particularly that China is basically the motherland of all East Asia, and that all East Asians are basically estranged children that should be folded back into the greater body of China.
I would argue that China is doing this with a much gentler hand than the US or Europe did historically, however it still sticks out due to how those types of actions are viewed through a modern and western centric lens.
Then you for your insight!
In some affairs, sure, like anything to do with business. But they’re so heavy-handed in others, such as literally believing “South China Sea” belongs to them completely, and so bad they tried to sink a small Philippine Coast Guard ship.
I was speaking in relative terms in regards to expansion. Relative to something like the US’s use of the Monroe doctrine, China’s handling of the south China sea is pretty mild.
While they are heavy handed in the scope of modern time…they aren’t exactly having their version of Teddy Roosevelt invading Cuba or anything.
Plus the Philippines were under American occupation for 50 years until the end of WWII.