China's media says a lot about them and America with Biden-level comments about our departing ambassador to China:
The editorial "Farewell, Gary Locke" took direct aim at Locke's identity as a third-generation Chinese-American, calling him a "banana" — a racial term for Asians identifying with Western values despite their skin color.
"But when a banana sits out for long, its yellow peels will always rot, not only revealing its white core but also turning into the stomach-churning color of black," read the editorial.
The author Wang Ping — likely a pseudonym — slammed Locke's portrayal as an official judicious with public funds but criticized him for being hypocritical as he retreated into his multimillion-dollar official residence and special-made, bullet-proof luxury vehicle.
Wang belittled Locke's inability to speak his ancestral language and accused him of failing to understand China's law but fanning "evil winds" in the ethnically sensitive regions of Tibet and Xinjiang. ...
The editorial made a malicious Chinese curse at Locke, suggesting Locke's Chinese ancestors would expel him from the family clan should they know his behaviors.
That's nice. What a giveaway.
But this shows the soft-power advantage we have. I was unaware that our ambassador was ethnic Chinese. It doesn't matter, however. He's an American.
The Chinese--and most other countries--think of nationality in terms of blood and soil. You are in "the tribe" (either figuratively or too often literally) based on blood and soil--who your ancestors are and where you were born. This may provide advantage when seeking to undermine other countries with "your tribe" living there (see Russia and Ukraine), but it limits your ability to appeal to non-tribal members.
America, by contrast, is not a nation of blood or soil. We are a nation of ideas. Anybody can be an American. And over the last two centuries, a lot have. We can appeal to those who are American-at-heart--who believe in individual freedom and liberty--even if they do not move here.
Which is why it annoys me to hear the left portray people who want to control immigration as anti-immigrant. I'm pro-immigrant. But I want those immigrants--or their children--to have the opportunity to become Americans. We don't want the old world bringing their conflicts of blood and soil here. If too many come at once, assimilation is more difficult and those conflicts fester longer.
The idea that controlling our border is racist is ridiculous.
I really don't care if America is no longer majority white in whatever amount of time it takes for that demographic change to happen, as long as we remain 90% American. Modern America is much different than it was 200 years ago yet we are still America.
And China's power to appeal to others is limited to our college campuses where formal Chinese Communism rather than Han blood inspires some fans.
China's hard power is increasing. But their lack of soft power means that neighbors are fearful of that power. Peking can only marvel at the comfort that Canada and Mexico display in the shadow of our hard power.
The Chinese rulers can only be envious that if our territory Puerto Rico voted to secede, we'd let them go and wish them well--and continue some of our financial support. No Puerto Ricans feel the need to self immolate to highlight their plight.
So don't panic about rising Chinese hard power. Our soft power remains much stronger.
Heck, even by that hard power measure things aren't as bad as direct comparisons would make you think.
UPDATE: Of course, China might use the Crimea Rule to rescue ethnic Chinese in Russia's Far East from unrest or potential violence.
UPDATE: Really? Russia's military invasion stands no chance against the might of the fully operational
