If I may offer my opinion, that's certainly your view of China-US relations. But, looking from China at the present time (past is of no practical value to make sense of the present), US seems pretty hostile and, you need to respect that opinion even if you do not agree with that without taking it by heart. Yes, indeed, US is a number one threat to China from both hard and soft power perspectives).
Let's break this down. First, let me say I appreciate the calm approach you have taken, and I hope you will approach this with an open mind, as I intend to.
About China and history: come on, really? China signed a peace treaty with Japan, but still manages to nurture grievances against Japan for the atrocities Japan committed in China 70 years ago. These atrocities were not committed in the present, and nearly all of the perpetrators of those atrocities are dead. Nearly all of the victims of those atrocities are dead. If you say that the "past is of no practical value to make sense of the present" when it comes to China's view of the world, it diminishes your credibility.
In the present, the US occupies no land that is disputed by China, has imposed no economic embargoes on China, has imposed no financial restrictions on China, has not raised special tariffs against China in retaliation for China's currency manipulation or industrial espionage, etc. As far as the US is concerned, we have normal relations. It is China that is maneuvering to push the US out of Asia (even though the US is an Asian power), not the US that is maneuvering to push China out of Asia or contain it. Any sense of encirclement felt by China must recognize that the factors of encirclement (military bases and alliances) pre-date the rise of China and were put into place to counter the USSR. If China seeks to replace the USSR as America's great rival, that is China's choice, but it is not an inevitability.
We have been through this before, and I have been through this with Raphael. The US may not be as "respectful" as China believes it deserves, but the US has taken no tangible action against China that justifies China's sense of victimhood.
Next. What I was responding to was not Raphael's suggestion that the US is hostile to China, or that the US is the number one thread to China. This is reasonable, since China is hostile to the US and is the number one threat to the US. What I took exception to was his labeling of US foreign policy as "psychopathic."
psy·chop·a·thy
1) a mental disorder in which an individual manifests immoral and antisocial behavior, lack of ability to love or establish meaningful personal relationships, extreme egocentricity, failure to learn from experience, etc.
2) any mental disease
I regard such a description as bordering on hysteria. If you believe that this is a fair description of US foreign policy, then I suppose we have nothing left to discuss. If you believe that this is an extreme exaggeration of US foreign policy, then you'll understand why I've pushed back hard against Raphael's assertion. China is hostile to the US and is our number one threat, but we do not view China's behavior as beyond all bounds of reason or deriving from mental illness.
Again, that's your opinion of the nature of things the way it is seen from your vantage point. For majority of Chinese, US media is excessively anti-China. The way how China regulates its media is nobody's business, so offering value statements such as " Corporate media reports what sells, not what the government tells it" really does not impress us much. Hence, perhaps it is better to respect each other's opinion and do not impose one's belief upon the other. Any statement I made is of my own, it is not to educate you or to convince you. I do not attach value to your opinion as being good or bad; you can try a similar approach. No body will change opinion just because some online poster believes strongly in something.
I find this hard to believe, because the majority of Chinese do not consume US media. If the majority of Chinese believe that US media is excessively anti-China, it's because they have been told so, and lack the intellectual curiosity or means (thanks, Great Firewall of China) to find out the truth for themselves. If this is the cause of Chinese hostility to the US, then we are doomed, because most Chinese will never be able to find out that at worst, most Americans never give a thought to China, and at best, many Americans admire China and hope to establish warm relations with it. America has virtually no negative history with China, as I have pointed out repeatedly, and on the contrary, has helped China several times in the past. We have no reason to hate China, but it's hard to like a country that hates your country for no real reason. China may make this hatred a self-fulfilling prophecy, which may be the CCP's goal in order to deflect popular anger against internal conflicts, but it does not help China in the long run.
That's a gross mischaracterization. But I will leave you with that.
I clearly stated that past is not to get hooked up, and at present, yes, the US is the largest exitential threat to China, but, the level of that threat might not necessarily mean that US is hellbent on destroying China, capable of doing that, or China is easily to be destroyed. See that? The possibility of an existential threat is there and real (this is certainly debatable); but, it actualization is becoming less likely.
But nothing wrong with that. Just as you have opinions of others, others have opinion of yourself although I will not voice mine so liberally.
Again, word choice is important.
ex·is·ten·tial
pertaining to existence.
In short, if you claim that the US is an existential threat to China, then you claim that the US has the intent to end China's existence. Not regime change in China, not imposing our value system on China, but ending China as a geographic entity, possibly along with its people.
This is sheer hysteria. Paranoia of such a degree that I cannot fathom it. I invite you to present proof that the US is preparing a nuclear strike that will annihilate China from the face of the earth. I know, and you know, that such proof does not exist.
Therefore, it is not only incorrect to call the USA an "existential threat," it is a provocation of the highest order.
Your assertion about what "existential threat" comprises is not correct. Merely having the capability does not make for an "existential threat." It must be capability combined with intent. For example, ISIS is an existential threat to Iraq. Mugabe is an existential threat to white Zimbabwean farmers. Iran is an existential threat to Israel. If you insist that the US is an existential threat to China, I would like you to prove that intent.
Otherwise, if "existential threat" is based on capability alone, logic dictates that you believe that the US is an existential threat to the entire world, not just China. Surely, then, you must also regard Russia as an existential threat to China, since it has the same capability. But China has friendly relations with Russia, and not with the US. Why?
I think being critical of the US and wishing to be ready for any nasty surprises is by default being anti-US.
I don't think that's correct. The US has contingency war plans for even such close allies as Canada. It's good to criticize in a constructive way; when China criticizes the US over our profligate spending habits, I take it to heart. Fixing our problems will help us, and help the world. Going beyond criticism to demonization (see above re: "existential threat") is where criticism transforms into anti-American rhetoric.
In any case, I hope this just comes down to careless word selection and mis-communication, rather than a sincerely held belief about the US. As I have said many times here, I admire China. I have Chinese colleagues and friends, and I have traveled to China many times. I admire Chinese history, Chinese accomplishments, and want the best for China. There is nothing inevitable about China-US hostility, just as there was little such friction when the British Empire handed off global leadership to the US. We have the opportunity on this forum to discuss these points of friction, and hopefully smooth them out, while most Americans and Chinese do not. I hope in some small way we can bridge the gap of mistrust that has developed.
