Don’t be overwhelmed by domestic issues

With the rise of the Internet, the Chinese public has paid more attention to the country's grass-roots affairs. This is a normal thing. It shows that the public's interests have become concrete, and people have a greater chance of realizing them. Meanwhile, international affairs seem to be marginalized.

However, the competitive international arena has not changed. Nonetheless, the situation is getting grimmer. China, often seen as the world's second biggest power, has gradually become the one to bear pressure from the West. The way the West competes with China has changed profoundly.

The West is going through a difficult period. It is aging. There's no new driving force for its economic development and its confidence has taken a hit. Meanwhile, China's speedy rise makes it hard to respond.

The West does not have a ready-made means of dealing with China. Now, it resorts to any possible means. Both China and Russia are in the midst of a democratic process. So far, the West has got unexpected results by playing the human rights card, which is its main method of confronting China and Russia.

Promoting the Western political system to the world is supported in the West. In non-Western countries, it has the least opposition compared with other ways of expanding the West's influence. In almost every country, there are intellectual elites supporting the Western political system, who can influence the rest of society.

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