New China-bashing term shows obsolete West-centric mindset
“Sharp power,” a term coined by a US think-tank and circulated by British magazine The Economist, is being used by some Western countries and media to raise so-called concerns over a new version of the “China threat” theory.
To promote the term, the Washington-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED) has published research papers and organized international seminars. The NED is endorsed by the US government and has received huge grants from the US Congress. Though it claims that its goal is “promoting democracy abroad,” it is a fact that its many sponsors include some notorious separatist groups.
US historian William Blum said the NED is the kind of organization “which often does exactly the opposite of what its name implies.” Calling it a “Trojan horse,” he said it “meddles in the internal affairs of numerous foreign countries in a multitude of ways ... (and) refers to the media it supports as ‘independent' despite the fact that these media are on the US payroll.” Former Congressman Ron Paul called the NED “nothing more than a costly program that takes US taxpayer funds to promote favored politicians and political parties abroad.”
Ruan Zongze, executive vice president of the China Institute of International Studies, said it's natural for China to expand contacts with other countries since they also have a strong desire to understand Chinese history and culture.
“Western countries are doing the same thing. Why can't China? Such double standard is unethical,” he added.
Some Western powers have a history of making up new words to deliberately distort China's image and policy, and undertaking for their own gain, a pure reflection of their concerns and anxiety over China's rapid development.
In a December issue, The Economist cited a poll – “Do you have a favorable or unfavorable view of China?” – conducted by Pew Research Center in Australia, the Philippines, South Korea and Japan from 2002 to 2017. Though three of the four countries expressed positive opinions about China, the article ridiculously interpreted it as the result of China's “sharp power.”
Such mentality shows that the West tends to view the ever-changing world based on Western-centrism. So it finds it increasingly difficult to adapt to changes. Over the past few years, China has played an active role in trying to work with the rest of the international community to improve global governance by proposing to jointly build a community of shared future for mankind and encouraging wide participation in the Belt and Road Initiative. China's contribution to global peace, security and development has been substantial, winning global recognition.
In this age of globalization, a zero-sum mentality will get no one anywhere. It is hoped that Westerners with such an obsolete mindset will abandon it and join China for the wellbeing of all.