If you studied history it is full of what goes around comes around. In the 1800’s China was ruled by a backward imperial system. The established Confucian scholar ruler class feared modernity. After losing two Opium Wars which culminated in the burning of the Chinese Southern Palace by British/French troops (which contained most of the Chinese historical archives, arts and treasures going far back as the Tang Dynasty), some in the Chinese elites got it. Attempts by the reformers were stifled despite the external threat to China’s existence is real because the established classes had cultural hangups and self interests. How did the West and the US (and later Japan) treated the backward China? Well let us say it was not with respect or equality. Gunboats, Marines, concession territories (areas where Americans, Westerners and Japanese can live and no Chinese allowed in Chinese cities). The US, West and Japan established China’s tariffs, thus any Chinese fledging attempts to establish modern industries were quashed by the more efficient and established western ones. Most factories and mines in China were foreign controlled and run. If China does not give the foreign mine company what they want, they simply pull all the technicians out or call in the Marines. China was viewed as a prostrate cow to be butchered.
Now China is flushed with money and the US, EU and Japan are deep in debt. Like old China, the US and EU have cultural and political hangups that prevent them from being financially sound and resources self reliant. Segments within Western society know what needs to be done but are prevented by an established opposition based on environmentalism, political correctness, cradle to grave socialism or simple greed under the cover of free trade. As China grows and we wane, how do you think China will treat us based on our behavior towards them in the past????
History is more than the Boxer Rebellion.
Now, how are the Chicoms going to treat other people with full thermonuclear warhead capacity mounted on ICBMs?
I'd think they'd start treating them respectfully right off the bat ~ any more traditional Chinese arrogance and things will not go well.
The Chinese did learn that dope is bad for your society. They found the limit of how many people you can have zonked out on opium before every other sector of the nation falls to pieces ~ it's about 15% ~ but they went higher and made sure everything was destroyed.
Amazingly Westerners think they can handle dope and get away with it. I guess that's why their teeth are falling out from unrestricted hard narcotic use.