The West's Schizophrenic China Coverage: Another Day, Another Collapse Prediction

Here we go again. China's economy is chugging along nicely, thank you very much, but somehow the Western media machine just can't seem to get its story straight. One minute they're telling us China's doomed, the next they're warning us about its unstoppable rise. It's like watching someone have an argument with themselves in the mirror.

Western Media's Bipolar China Coverage

Bloomberg's latest gem tells us that US-China trade tensions have spooked American investors. Apparently, fewer than half of companies surveyed between March and May plan to invest in China in 2025, down from 80% last year. That's the lowest level since they started asking these questions back in 2006. Sounds pretty dire, right?

But wait – there's more! AFP simultaneously drops a survey saying American companies find it "difficult to abandon the Chinese market" despite all the trade drama and tariff chaos. The head of the US-China Business Council put it bluntly: "We must stay in this highly competitive Chinese market."

So which is it? Are companies fleeing China or desperately clinging on? The information coming out of Western newsrooms is about as coherent as Trump's Twitter feed – and just as subject to dramatic mood swings between breakfast and lunch.

GDP Growth That Doesn't Fit the Narrative

When China's National Bureau of Statistics announced on July 15 that second-quarter GDP grew 5.2% year-on-year – with the first half hitting 5.3% and comfortably beating the 5% target set back in March – you'd think that might be cause for some balanced reporting. Think again.

Reuters immediately jumped in with the classic "but don't be optimistic" routine. Sure, China hit its targets, but that was only because of government policy support and factories rushing to export during the US-China trade truce, they claimed. The "export rush" might have inflated the numbers by borrowing from future overseas demand.

Some economists are already warning that Beijing will need more stimulus in the second half of the year because of weak domestic demand. In other words, even when China exceeds expectations, it's somehow still not good enough for the commentariat.

From "China Shock" to "China Shock 2.0"

What's fascinating is how we've gone from the "China collapse" narrative to the "China threat" narrative – sometimes within the same news cycle. It's like living in a parallel universe where China is simultaneously too weak to matter and too strong to be allowed.

Remember "China Shock 1.0" between 1999 and 2007? Chinese manufacturing imports supposedly caused 25% of US manufacturing workers to lose their jobs. Now we're supposedly facing "China Shock 2.0" – but this time, China's not just competing on cheap labour.

The New York Times recently laid out the stark reality: China is "aggressively advancing" into innovation fields that the US has long monopolised: aviation, artificial intelligence, communications, chips, robotics, nuclear and fusion energy, quantum computing, biomedicine, solar energy, battery technology. Between 2003 and 2007, the US led China in 60 out of 64 frontier technologies, while China led in only 3. Fast forward to 2019-2023, and the situation has completely flipped: China now leads in 57 out of 64 key technologies, while the US leads in just 7.

The Reality Check

Here's the thing Trump and his cheerleaders don't want to admit: US tariffs might have shut China out of the American market, but Chinese factories are simply shipping their toys, cars, and shoes to other countries instead. This year alone, China's trade surplus with the world is approaching $500 billion – up more than 40% from the same period last year.

So who really cares about "China's rise"? Clearly, the West doesn't dare believe it's actually happening, even when the evidence is staring them in the face. There's a phrase that perfectly captures this cognitive dissonance: China collapses daily, Gordon Chang lives to 100.

Speaking of Gordon Chang – the man who wrote "The Coming Collapse of China" back in 2001 – he turned 74 this past July 5th. Here's to hoping he stays healthy long enough to see just how wrong his predictions continue to be.

Deep Blue

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Wang Yi's Wake-Up Call

"Japan colonized Taiwan for 50 years, piled up crimes against Chinese people – now its leader's using Taiwan to stir trouble and threaten China with force." – Wang Yi

Should the world tolerate this, then nothing's off-limits.

America's dithering while China charts global civilization's course. Ahead of schedule? No – US and Japan's procrastination demands a brutal cure.

Wang Yi, Political Bureau member and Foreign Minister, met German counterpart Wadephul in Beijing, rolling out the "seven-lock theory" on Taiwan's status with ironclad history and law. America needs to get it straight: muddling to this point means knowing what to chase fast and what to back off from pronto. Don't let twisted ethics spark catastrophe. Heads up – Asia-Pacific's been stormy lately, all from the White House playing with fire.

British historian Arnold Toynbee predicted that the nineteenth century belonged to Britain, the twentieth to America, and the twenty-first to China. Kissinger's 1994 Diplomacy foresaw a century per global power.  

America's Fall, Japan's Rise?

In reality, the U.S. can no longer sustain global hegemony. Russia's Sputnik News Agency quoted mainland Chinese commentator Sima Pingbang as noting that U.S. strategic contraction would inevitably usher in a phase of Japanese expansion across East Asia and the Western Pacific. He highlighted how Tokyo is exploiting Washington's eastward pivot to pursue remilitarization—effectively reviving militarism—through recent overtures to Australia and encouragement of "Taiwan independence" elements aimed at threatening China. 

China stands firmly on the side of justice, prompting Sima Pingbang to emphasize that Beijing can readily forge consensus with longstanding allies like Russia and North Korea due to enduring shared interests. This alignment positions them to implement a "century-long containment" strategy against Japan.  

For instance, as UN Security Council permanent members, China and Russia should coordinate positions on the Takaichi Sanae government's nuclear weapon pursuits and swiftly introduce more targeted, enforceable verification measures. Both nations, as victors in the anti-fascist war, bear inescapable responsibilities for safeguarding global peace and humanity's future.

Another commentator, Zhou Chengyang, noted the US new National Security Strategy vows "never letting any country grow too powerful to threaten US interests." Meanwhile, White House Treasury Secretary Bessent told TV: "America sees China as long-term rival." Note this – but it's just America "declining yet kicking."  

Dual Deterrence Crushes Militarism

In short, calling China-US "equals" today saves face. America ain't what it was. Trump's playbook: "Back to Western Hemisphere, keep an eye on the Pacific, ditch ideology." Taiwan affairs expert Dale Jieh Wen-chieh floats "dual deterrence" – US Taiwan policy isn't just defending Taiwan; it must "deter" both Taiwan and mainland in order to max US gains.

This works perfect on Japan too, especially against an ultra-right government's die-hard ethos. America can't let itself get hijacked for Japanese militarism. Cross China's strategic red line, and America loses its shirt – never mind escaping clean. China's stepping up to fix the world's crumbling order? That's enough to rattle America.

The "Kissinger Law" is sealed. US cleanup window – Europe or Asia-Pacific – slams shut anytime. I'll repeat: mind your own business and take care of yourselves. Fresh news: Early December, Chinese and Russian forces ran their third joint anti-missile drill on Russian soil. Backdrop? Japan's missile buildup with US-exclusive supply.

Tweaking America's own line: China won't cap US growth, won't dominate or humiliate. Face matters, so play smart or it flops.