Steve Chapman on China as Its Own Worst Enemy

To achieve any ambitious goal, you have to want it badly enough to work and sacrifice. But there is such a thing as trying too hard. Overzealous pursuit of your heart's desire can end up chasing it away. The Chinese government may be learning that right now. China, a great civilization brought low by foreign powers in the 19th and 20th centuries, has long burned to acquire a global stature corresponding to its self-image. Its transformation from an economic catastrophe to an export machine has made it a much bigger player in world affairs. But sometimes, writes Steve Chapman, efforts to assert itself generate not respect and cooperation but fear and resistance.