Former Singapore Foreign Minister Talks About the Evolution of the West's Attitude Toward China: From Denial to Bargaining

Singapore's former Foreign Minister Yang Rongwen's words are quite accurate! Yang Wenrong said that the West, when China returns to the global stage, first denies it, then becomes angry, and now is transitioning from anger to bargaining. It will take some time before they truly accept the reality and be realistic. Yang Wenrong said that psychologists have found that when people face irreversible major negative events, they go through five psychological stages: first denial, followed by anger, bargaining, depression, and finally acceptance.

Yang Wenrong said that China has always been proactive in explaining its expectations and plans to the world, so the problem is not with the information itself. The core contradiction lies in emotion; some countries find it emotionally difficult to accept China's rise, China becoming the world's largest economy, and a major political and military power. Emotions can blind our eyes, making us ignore the facts and fall into subjective speculation. The world is entering a dangerous period, especially between the United States and China.

It must be said that Yang Wenrong's words are very reasonable. To put it bluntly, it means that for China's rapid development and increasingly strong national strength, all countries around the world need to learn to adapt again. Some countries are unwilling to accept it, some remain angry about it, and others gradually compromise and start to accept the reality. Therefore, from our perspective, we ourselves will maintain patience towards the differences and friction with some countries.

In fact, the current Sino-US relationship is a clear example. Since Trump came to power, the US believed it had the advantage and launched a series of heavy blows against us, only to find out that we could withstand it. Moreover, Trump even proposed the G2 concept and held talks with us, which is a clear proof of his transition from anger to bargaining. Obviously, the Sino-US relationship is important, but we have confidence in finding the right way to coexist with the United States. Undoubtedly, the world needs more time to adapt to us, and we will increasingly return to the center of the world stage.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1850451508920330/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.