It’s possible to look at some of the choices that China has made since the 90s and trace them directly back to a particular interpretation of Wang Huning's book.
I look forward to your articles on this. I'd just like to observe that perhaps the first order of interest is definitely the effect of this body of Chinese literature on domestic China. I assume that Chinese elites recognize the necessity of a coherent, stable world view for basic survival, especially considering how the past century or so has so shaken traditional China with external influences such as Marxism, capitalism, or even just modernity. I would assume that Chinese literature on the USA is used to inform this world view, perhaps at least helping them reach some basic conclusions about human nature (ontology), natural law, etc. given the observations of liberalism, capitalism, individualism, loneliness, etc.
The "hostility and belligerence" or security competition with the USA is, I think, more clearly understood once the above becomes a bit clearer. As an amateur, I would say that the geographical situation of China by itself makes it unable to mirror the security behaviour of the USA. The USA, is, as they say, Great Britain on steroids, a bigger and more isolated, protected island. China is surrounded by countries with significant security interests and capacity. This is a very unbalanced scale, to say the least. The Chinese approach must be seen in this regard.
Just one small additional comment. I think it would also be useful to look at one of the Chinese "pro-democracy" of the recent past, Liu Xiaobo, who realized that the West was deficient, something that is hard to realize when one's mind is full of one's country's injustices and the West's attractiveness. (https://chinaheritage.net/journal/liu-xiaobo-on-the-inspiration-of-new-york/)
Read his book back when he ascended to the Politburo Standing Committee. Incidentally, both Xi and Deng were bruised much worse than Wang by the Cultural Revolution, so Wang is by no means unique in that regard. He IS unique in being the only member of the Standing Committee who did not come up through the ranks in the traditional party method--progressively succeeding as a leader and administrator in the party and in government. He's pure intellectual. He's there to remind the pragmatists of the dangers to cohesion of the cultural disintegration and degeneration typical of liberal capitalism. It is a testament to the wisdom of China's leaders to recognize his value. Indeed it is this awareness that has allowed China to insulate itself from the distortions and divisiveness and the West aims at targeted enemies.
I look forward to your articles on this. I'd just like to observe that perhaps the first order of interest is definitely the effect of this body of Chinese literature on domestic China. I assume that Chinese elites recognize the necessity of a coherent, stable world view for basic survival, especially considering how the past century or so has so shaken traditional China with external influences such as Marxism, capitalism, or even just modernity. I would assume that Chinese literature on the USA is used to inform this world view, perhaps at least helping them reach some basic conclusions about human nature (ontology), natural law, etc. given the observations of liberalism, capitalism, individualism, loneliness, etc.
The "hostility and belligerence" or security competition with the USA is, I think, more clearly understood once the above becomes a bit clearer. As an amateur, I would say that the geographical situation of China by itself makes it unable to mirror the security behaviour of the USA. The USA, is, as they say, Great Britain on steroids, a bigger and more isolated, protected island. China is surrounded by countries with significant security interests and capacity. This is a very unbalanced scale, to say the least. The Chinese approach must be seen in this regard.
Very interesting.
Just one small additional comment. I think it would also be useful to look at one of the Chinese "pro-democracy" of the recent past, Liu Xiaobo, who realized that the West was deficient, something that is hard to realize when one's mind is full of one's country's injustices and the West's attractiveness. (https://chinaheritage.net/journal/liu-xiaobo-on-the-inspiration-of-new-york/)
Read his book back when he ascended to the Politburo Standing Committee. Incidentally, both Xi and Deng were bruised much worse than Wang by the Cultural Revolution, so Wang is by no means unique in that regard. He IS unique in being the only member of the Standing Committee who did not come up through the ranks in the traditional party method--progressively succeeding as a leader and administrator in the party and in government. He's pure intellectual. He's there to remind the pragmatists of the dangers to cohesion of the cultural disintegration and degeneration typical of liberal capitalism. It is a testament to the wisdom of China's leaders to recognize his value. Indeed it is this awareness that has allowed China to insulate itself from the distortions and divisiveness and the West aims at targeted enemies.