美国一意孤行地遏制中国崛起，却忽视了本身衰落

在《南华早报》痛斥美国“蠢货”：遏华却忽视本国衰败刊发于2022年6月10日《南华早报》，原题为《美国一意孤行地遏制中国崛起，却忽视了本身衰落》。现将中文译文与原文分享

美国认为中国是一个威胁的看法与经验证据背道而驰，深陷僵化的意识形态思维，中国学术界无法接受。要知道潜在的邪恶在哪里，这里给大家罗列一些事实。

中国已经四十多年没有发生战争了。中国并没有派遣驱逐舰和轰炸机巡游佛罗里达海峡，来试验华盛顿的容忍度。中国军费开支甚至还不到美国的三分之一，美国在军事上的财富支出超过了未来10个大国的总和。

中国对经济的宏观管理，并没有因为资本纯粹的贪婪和缺乏监管而导致金融危机。中国公民不能携带枪支，甚至中国当地警察都不携带枪支。

美国政府永无止境的对华威胁和美国政客对社会主义的无耻描述，让中国人民感到困惑甚至愤怒。

在许多方面，美国是中国慷慨帮助和贸易的受益者。美国消费者每年在购买中国产品和大宗商品时会节省数百美元，甚至数千美元，如果这些商品是在中国制造的话。尽管越来越多的中国公司在美国建厂，美国公司仍在中国市场占有更大份额，但中国制造的消费品流向美国的趋势不会改变。

中国持有超过1万亿美元的美国国债，这帮助美国度过了2008年国际金融危机。十年后，美国却对中国发动贸易战，这只会伤害为此支付关税的美国消费者。与美国自己的最大利益相反的是，华盛顿的那些蠢货现在还阻止了来自中国更好的技术，为什么？就因为它来自中国吗？

中国没有煽动任何对美进攻，但中国非常精确地进行反制措施。

中国人口是美国的四倍。中国的人口比南北美洲所有国家的人口加起来还要多。中国的GDP将不可避免地超过美国。但美国试图遏制中国增长，只会让中国人认为，美国是出于怨恨与嫉妒而阻止中国人拥有更好的生活。其实，经济增长不是体育盛事，金字塔顶端没有奖杯。

中国签署的国际条约和加入的国际组织比大多数国家都多。中国很有诚意地捍卫1945年在美国领导下建立的以联合国为中心的国际秩序。中国不是唯一一个继续受益于二战后国际秩序稳定的国家，而且中国认为没有必要颠覆这一体系。

中国不会接受美国对西藏、新疆和香港方面提出自以为是的指控。维吾尔族和藏族人口的数量与机会不断改善和扩大。香港的经济增长速度比大多数发达国家都快。

中国人民希望美国的那些道德改革者，从内部着眼，改善自己悲痛欲绝、吸毒成性的社区。五月份，美国水牛城、乌瓦尔德斯枪击案令人痛心。在美国，有游客发布了几英里长城市路边帐篷、“无家可归者”视频令人震惊。美国城市暴力的盛行，以及它在国际上犯下的暴行，已经让中国人民惊愕。

美国，曾是中国人高度重视的国家。现在，到底发生了什么？在很多方面，中国人一度曾把美国当作自己的导师。中国人过去想模仿美国的成功，中国人很好地学会了如何遵循那些经验。“学生”现在已经长大了，并且是一名教师，这是不容否定的事实。

美国神话的破灭激发了中国的政治觉醒和自信。中国人更愿意从3000年文化传统中，寻找智慧和方法，为世界做出更大贡献。

中国人有创业精神，但中国人抵制自由资本主义。我们本能地知道，必须对资本流动进行监管，其关键目标是促进社会平等和国家福祉的适度改善。这就是中国为何要精准扶贫和重建基础设施、在全国掀起海啸般改善生活浪潮的重要原因。

这就是中国和美国之间的不同发展特点。其中一个几乎一致埋头苦干，以提升自己，而另一个似乎绝望地陷入了精英或畜生领导的孤独中。

当然，中国和美国都需要发展。双方都存在严重的、失当的政治正确性。现在，在两国，说对方的好话几乎成了禁忌。取长补短，共同进步，必将大大缓解两国间的紧张局势。

US is so bent on resisting China’s rise, it has ignored its own decline

• American rhetoric about the threat of China and attempts to counter its power are both bewildering and frustrating for ordinary Chinese

• A population that once looked up to the US now looks on aghast at the violence perpetuated both within and outside its borders

WANG Wen

The US’ perception that China is a threat runs contrary to empirical evidence, is mired in ossified ideological thinking and is unacceptable to Chinese academia. To see just where potential evil lies here are the facts.

China has not been at war in more than four decades. It doesn’t send destroyers and bombers to cruise the Florida Straits, just to test Washington’s tolerance. China’s military spending isn’t even a third of the US, which spews more of its wealth on its military than the next 10 powers combined.

China’s managed economy wasn’t ruptured by a financial crisis, caused by sheer greed and lack of oversight. Chinese citizens don’t have to arm themselves with firearms, and China’s local constabulary don’t even carry guns.

The US government’s never-ending threats and the outrageous depiction of socialism by American politicians, leaves Chinese people feeling confused and even angry.

In many ways, the US is a beneficiary of China’s bounty and struggle. US consumers save hundreds, perhaps thousands of dollars each year buying Chinese products and commodities, then if they were made there. The flow of China-made consumer goods to the US isn’t about to change even as more Chinese companies build plants in the US, and US companies grab a greater share of the Chinese market 

China holds more than a trillion dollars in US treasury bonds, which helped it survive the 2008 international financial crisis. Still a decade later the US has the temerity to launch a trade war against China, which only hurts US consumers who are paying the tariffs. Contrary to their own best interests, blockheads in Washington have now blocked better technologies from China, why? just because it’s from China. 

China didn’t instigate any of this, but it rightfully invoked countermeasures.

China's population is four times that of the United States. There are more people in China than all the countries of North and South America combined. It’s inevitable that China’s GDP will exceed that of the US. Trying to suppress China’s growth makes Chinese people think the US in standing in the way of a better life simply out of spite. Economic growth is not a sporting event, there are no trophies hand out at the top of the pyramid.  

China has signed more international treaties and joined more international organizations than most of countries. It passionately defends the international order centered on the UN, which was established under the leadership of the United States in 1945. China isn’t the only country that continues to benefit from the stability of the post-WWII international order, and sees no need to subvert this system.

China does not accept the holier-than-thou accusations from the US against Tibet, Xinjiang and Hong Kong. Opportunities for Uygurs and Tibets continues to improve and expand as has their population. Hong Kong’s economy is pegged to grow fast then most developed countries.

Chinese people want the moral crusaders in the US, to take a look inward at improving their own grief-stricken, drugged-out communities. In May it was Buffalo and Uvaldes. Chinese travelers in the US have posted videos of miles-long lines of roadside tents the homeless call what, their home? The current state of affair in the US is shocking to Chinese people. The prevalence of violence in US cities, and that which it has perpetrated beyond its borders, has collapsed the hearts of Chinese people. 

How did this happen in a country that Chinese people had once held in such high regard? In many ways Chinese people saw the US as their tutor. They wanted to emulate its success, and we learned very well how to follow instructions. The “student” has now grown up, and is a teacher in its own right – there could not have been any other outcome.

The shattering of the American myth has prompted a political awakening and self-confidence in China. Chinese people have turned to their 3,000-year-old culture to find wisdom and ways of making greater contributions to the world.

Chinese are entrepreneurial in spirit but we resist unfettered capitalism. We know instinctively that capital flows must be regulated and its key goal is to contribute to measured improvements in social equality and national well-being. This is how China has been able to alleviation poverty and rebuild its infrastructure, bringing a tsunami-size wave of improvements across the country.

This is the difference between how China and the US are proceeding; one has buckled down in near unanimity in order to move up, while the other appears hopelessly sinking into two solitudes led by elites or brutes.

Of course, both China and the US need to evolve. There is serious undue political correctness on both sides. It now borders on the taboo to say something good about the other. Learning from each other's strengths and making common progress will surely go a long way in easing tensions between the two countries.

(WANG Wen is professor and executive dean of Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China)