As China moves forward, it will become more efficient and more knowledgeable, contributing to legitimacy on all fronts. Concurrently, its’ citizens will come to expect more, particularly in terms of standards of living. Much of China’s success has stemmed from a dependency on an extremely cheap labor force. If this labor force unites and demands increases in wages, health standards, benefits and such, it will mitigate all the advantages that have propelled China to the upper echelons of the international stage.

Thoughts about the NY Times article:

One of my favorite aspects of diplomatic discourse is that as long as you are playing the diplomatic game and engaging in dialogue, or even promising to engage in dialogue, you can get away with practically anything. It is one of those “the hand is faster than the eye” tricks. A clear example of this can be seen with North Korea, where there will be a massive buildup of tension, and right when we are seemingly on the verge of World War 3, they announce that they are willing to talk. This is followed by no actual talks but instead another cycle of escalating tensions and promised communication.

An interesting side note in the article is how much the fiscal policies of China and the U.S. reflect that of their citizens. China has slowly been amassing foreign reserves to the tune of $1 trillion, much like its citizens, who are known for their frugality. Meanwhile, the U.S. has recently descended into a spending binge with no thought to the future. And just like our government, Americans are known for spending what we do not have, putting it all on our credit cards. Unfortunately, the bill eventually comes, but unlike its individual citizens, the national government cannot file for chapter 11.

China has quietly risen to the role of superpower but does not need to proclaim its status – a true leader does not need to tell anyone that he is in charge, everyone already knows.

China is here now. I think if it wanted, China could go head to head, toe to toe, with the U.S. right now. I am sure the U.S. politicians are aware of this fact. Imagine what would happen if China shut its doors to the rest of the world. What would happen to our economy? Imagine if China threatened war? I don’t think that the U.S. could stop China.

I’m not suggesting that China would or do any of these things; I’m simply stating that China has the ability to. Similar to Yao, China doesn’t need to tell anyone that it’s big, people know. Like the article stated China is a responsible super-power. I think that the bigger it gets the more it will benefit the rest of the world. The rise of the U.S. of the past 200 years has had a great impact on the rest of the world and has improved the quality of life of so many (current political issues aside). So I don’t think that the rise of China corresponds to the fall of other nations. What does this mean for our kids? It means more opportunities and better lives.

This notion can also be tied back into the sports metaphor - athletes are often trained to give the ‘political and diplomatic’ response, so as to avoid giving their opponents ‘bulletin board material’ that may motivate them. It seems that China’s policy has been to not give other nations, especially the US, ‘bulletin board material.’ However, these games can only be played so far, eventually someone notices the elephant in the room, and that is what has happened. It is no secret that china is on the rise, regardless of how they try to euphemize the term.

And I agree with the China Law Blog, the name Miller certainly does not belong in the same sentence as Jordan, Magic, and Bird. I had an SAT flashback when reading it.