[ponder life]

I’m not anti-Chinese. I want better relations with China, free China that is. The way we kowtow to the butchers of Beijing over the Republic of China is despicable.

Well, I firmly believe that test will come. I believe Mainland China will become a democracy someday. But here is the kicker, its easier to feel good about a "free China", when that free China is only 20 million strong. But when that free China is a developed nation of 1.4 billion people, I feel, by that time, people like yourselves (and I don't mean that with any malice) will still not feel any better about a rising China.

By that time, it won't be an issue of whether China has one aircraft carrier, but whether China will go beyond 10 or not. I believe you when you say you are not anti-Chinese. But many Americans, knowing the history of Western civilization, and how the West has positioned herself for the last 4-500 years, will never feel comfortable with a non-Western nation that they do not have the potential to contain. Democracy or not. And this attitude, I feel, is wrong.

America's healthy relationship with other countries, in particular the non-Western countries, is based, in small part, to the overwhelming resources we have over countries like Japan and South Korea, Taiwan, etc. And to a lessor degree, even towards Britain, Canada, Germany, Australia, etc.

I for one, feel that the US can have a healthy diplomatic relationship with a nation in which we do not have overwhelming power over.

[rmlew]

Well, I firmly believe that test will come. I believe Mainland China will become a democracy someday. But here is the kicker, its easier to feel good about a "free China", when that free China is only 20 million strong. But when that free China is a developed nation of 1.4 billion people, I feel, by that time, people like yourselves (and I don't mean that with any malice) will still not feel any better about a rising China.
China is its own civilization. Assuming it doesn't implode when it becomes old before it becomes rich, China may become a democracy and return to its historic role as regional hegemon and global leader in GDP. There will, of course, be serious differences between the US and China.

By that time, it won't be an issue of whether China has one aircraft carrier, but whether China will go beyond 10 or not. I believe you when you say you are not anti-Chinese. But many Americans, knowing the history of Western civilization, and how the West has positioned herself for the last 4-500 years, will never feel comfortable with a non-Western nation that they do not have the potential to contain. Democracy or not. And this attitude, I feel, is wrong.
We've accepted Japan as a first world nation. It was arguably an equal to Western powers as early as 1905 and treated as such by World War 1. And it returned to that role in the 1980s. We will accept China, just as we have Japan and will India.

America's healthy relationship with other countries, in particular the non-Western countries, is based, in small part, to the overwhelming resources we have over countries like Japan and South Korea, Taiwan, etc. And to a lessor degree, even towards Britain, Canada, Germany, Australia, etc.
Shared values and alliances matter. There is a reason why we are much closer to a democratic India than with the PRC. Remember that 25 years ago, the reverse was true.

I for one, feel that the US can have a healthy diplomatic relationship with a nation in which we do not have overwhelming power over.
America has only been the undisputed single superpower since 1991.