What should I write about next? Taiwan, or China's "low-trust" society?
Folks, there are two big topics I would want to tackle right now, but each will take at least a few weeks and be in several parts. So, I am debating with myself which one I should focus on for now.
As always, the choice will be yours.
The first series will be about Taiwan. I have spent several posts discussing why China is not an inherently expansionist power and that reunification with Taiwan should not be seen as the first step towards expansion but rather the last step of the so-called “rejuvenation”. But so far, I have commented very little about the question of Taiwan itself. The series on Taiwan, as I envision, will come in 4 parts. In Part 1, I will discuss WHY China would want to, and have to, re-unify with Taiwan. In Part 2, I will deal with how it will unfold. In Part 3, I will deal with when it will take place. In Part 4, I will evaluate the arguments of why and why not the US should “defend” Taiwan.
Another series I long to write about is the fact that China has a “low-trust” society. It’s one of the most prominent features of our society, which few people born and raised in a Western society come to appreciate, and it dictates how we behave in different situations. This series will likely come in 3 parts. Part 1 will deal with what I mean by “low-trust society” and why. Part 2 will deal with how that affects daily life and business dealings in China. Part 3 will touch on the sensitive topic of why this is the key reason for the kind of political system that we have today.
As you can tell, both series are big, exciting ones.
But I will start writing the series that you, the readers, vote for.
“What we have here is a failure to communicate.” I experienced utter frustration attempting to negotiate a business deal with Chinese businessmen. I was vainly attempting to establish a basis of trust so we could have a foundation of cooperation, but they placed no value on trust and continued to haggle about transactional details and were shocked and insulted when I abruptly ended the negotiations.
Trust is an essential bedrock of Western economics and diplomacy. “My word is my bond” is critical in the West, but likely considered naive in more pragmatic China. Yes, the discussion of “low trust” is a major disconnect in our mutual understanding.
Both plz