US Vice President Mike Pence made some positive statements on improving China-US relations during his policy speech on China Thursday, but he was full of prejudice in his overall description of China, which mirrors his Cold War mentality. Such mentality is typical of US political elites. Pence blasted Nike and the NBA and accused them of kowtowing “to the lure of China’s money and markets,” saying when it comes to Hong Kong, Nike “prefers checking its social conscience at the door” and that the NBA is “silencing free speech” and “acting like a wholly owned subsidiary” of China. In fact, Nike has not openly picked sides on Hong Kong affairs. It adopted the prevailing practice of most transnational corporations – avoiding being involved in political conflicts. It simply temporarily kept Houston Rockets merchandise off the shelves after Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey’s episode. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s statement failed to satisfy the Chinese public. He was considered to have tried to please both China and the US, but he has always been partial to the US.
Pence has a high demand for US companies, which, as he implied, should go their own way in the Chinese market without being concerned about colliding with the Chinese value system and national interests. This obviously runs counter to the basic logic of business. “Do in Rome as the Romans do” and respecting customers are the real universal business rules. The US has shown its malformed pride and narcissism to regard respecting others as self-humiliation. Some US political elites are feeling a sense of loss. They believe that the US strategy of influencing and transforming China through contacts has failed, and that the emerging China has started to influence the US. It must be noted that the US and the West have profoundly affected China in the past decades. Countless Western elements can be found in China’s modernization and China has been humbly learning from the US and the West. In general, despite some differences, the West exported its human rights concept to China and strengthened the concept of democracy as well as the rule of law in Chinese society. China, which has achieved rapid development, has integrated into the international system dominated by the US and the West, instead of challenging it. It is China’s sacred right to adhere to its own development path, pursue its own ideals and safeguard its legitimate interests while integrating into the world. China’s gesture is highly defensive. But the country has a population of 1.4 billion, a long civilization and confidence in our blood. No force will be able to sweep us away.
