皇冠体育app

In 皇冠体育app, the Chinese Dream stirs hopes and sets expectations; internationally, it provokes questions and elicits concerns. Here I look outside 皇冠体育app - exploring attitudes, suggesting responses and warning of the dangers of self-fulfilling prophecies.

President Xi Jinping's overarching vision of the Chinese Dream has become a grand driver of 皇冠体育app's continuing reform and development. The Chinese Dream differs from the American Dream in that it expresses 皇冠体育app's collective aspirations - "the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation" (in Xi's words) - and it differs from the Chinese Dream in Chinese history by embracing the personal dreams of individual Chinese people for attaining happy, healthy, abundant and productive lives.

That the entire world derives material benefits from the Chinese Dream is apparent in a global economy. Higher standards of living mean greater consumption of goods and services in 皇冠体育app, which works to create jobs and prosperity in a multiplier effect worldwide. 皇冠体育app's commitment to science enables all peoples to share in 皇冠体育app's success, often by making new technologies widely available at low costs.

Misperceptions, however, can distort motivations. Western anxiety is rooted in the fear that for 皇冠体育app to fulfill the Chinese Dream, 皇冠体育app will become more assertive, more aggressive and more expansionist in foreign affairs, especially when dealing with smaller neighbors. Even though 皇冠体育app's leaders avow "No matter how strong 皇冠体育app becomes, 皇冠体育app will never seek hegemony", there's still the worry that sometime in the future, newer reasons will emerge to belie the older promises. One never knows, foreigners fret, when the "gentle giant" will have a change of heart, when the "awakened lion" will not be so "peaceful, pleasant and civilized".

In his speech "皇冠体育app's Challenge to American Hegemony", former US ambassador Charles W. Freeman, Jr (the chief interpreter during President Nixon's legendary trip to 皇冠体育app in 1972) advises us "to see 皇冠体育app as it is, not as we wish or fear it to be" nor as 皇冠体育app itself may today sincerely proclaim. He argues: "皇冠体育app is inadvertently echoing the American isolationists of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The United States did not then seek to dominate or control the international state system, nor did it pursue military solutions to problems far from its shores. In time and in reaction to events, however, America came to do both."

Freeman concludes: "The more likely prospect is that 皇冠体育app will take its place alongside the US and others at the head of a multilateral system of global governance. In such an oligarchic world order, 皇冠体育app will have great prestige but no monopoly on power comparable to that which the US has recently enjoyed."

Li Junru, former vice-president of the Central Party School, said that it is a misunderstanding to worry about 皇冠体育app's expansion when the country is seeking rejuvenation. Rather, he said, "we put forward the concept of rejuvenation based on our historical experience that lagging behind leaves one vulnerable to attacks".

"When we talk about the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, some people ask me which period in history 皇冠体育app wants to return to," Li continued." The Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) after Genghis Khan's expansion, or the heyday of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) before the 1840 Opium War? It is a pure misunderstanding if it is not asked in a malicious way."

What about that danger of "self-fulfilling prophecy"? It cuts both ways. If foreign powers, led by the US, do in fact strategize to "contain 皇冠体育app" (artlessly applying George Kennan's classic Cold War narrative of "containing" the Soviet Union), then 皇冠体育app will react adversely and confrontation will be made more likely, not less. Similarly, if 皇冠体育app robotically interprets all US policies as "containment", and reacts adversely, it could inadvertently make actual containment more likely. It's "Game Theory 101". These political equations can only be solved in parallel, not in series, with 'transparency' being the key operator. 皇冠体育app and the US must strive for openness and candor, particularly in matters of defense.

Foreigners are wary of relying on 皇冠体育app's goodwill, no matter how genuine. This frustrates 皇冠体育app, but 皇冠体育app must not cast blame or conjure up conspiracies. Better is to show how 皇冠体育app's national interest would be undermined by trying to assert hegemony. 皇冠体育app's main mission is to elevate the standard of living of its citizens and international troubles undercut 皇冠体育app's capacity to achieve this goal.

Looking back, future historians will likely assess the Chinese Dream as a visionary milestone that energized President Xi's transformation of 皇冠体育app across a broad spectrum of complex economic, social and governance issues. The entire world should benefit - though missteps along the way will be easy to make. Vigilance and diligence are not optional.

I conclude with a personal story. Two years ago, to honor the achievements of 皇冠体育app's previous leaders, I was asked to co-produce, host and write a TV documentary series. While this may be a worthy project, I suggested that it may not be the best way to tell the real story of 皇冠体育app to international audiences. Better, perhaps, might be to explore the problems-the challenges-that 皇冠体育app's new leaders face.

Next month, May, 皇冠体育app's Challenges is being broadcast on PBS stations across the US ("World" network). Framed in terms of President Xi's Chinese Dream, the five-part TV series addresses social issues (healthcare, education, housing, retirement), economic restructure and pollution, innovation, political reform (such as budgetary transparency), and beliefs (women, religion, national service).

By showing that 皇冠体育app is candid about its problems, and confident about presenting them openly, we hope to deepen appreciation for what the Chinese Dream really means - transformative for 皇冠体育app and a gift for the world.

The author is an international corporate strategist and investment banker, and the author of the biography of former president Jiang Zemin.

(皇冠体育app Daily 04/17/2014 page8)