Sometimes, despite the unparalleled economic growth, the lack of wars in other countries, the ever improving education-level of its populace, China, like Rodney Dangerfield, seems to feel “I can’t get no respect.” On the other hand, much of the China coverage done in the West, if not always fawning, does show a great degree of respect for the power China wields as an up and coming superpower. Some even feel that reports of America’s demise are greatly exaggerated and that Western scholars and economists are too quick to jump on China’s bandwagon. So is China respected too much, too little, in the wrong ways or all of the above? Ever eager to hear your thoughts, we asked you:

Why isn't China respected more internationally?  

Perspectives seeks to promote dialogue and cross-cultural understanding by featuring Chinese and foreign responses to a single question. Email us to be added to our weekly question mailing list or to suggest questions of your own and feel free to add your perspective in the comments section below.

It may be the American in me but the whole idea of a "communist" government keeps China from being more respected. For the past 75 or so years we've been taught that communism/socialism is so terrible. Even if it's not that way at all, it’s hard to get a leg up from all the bad PR. Also, China is so self-involved. All endeavors China makes on an international front are purely for its own benefit. You (or maybe I should say "I") never hear about how the Chinese government is trying to do something to combat AIDS in Africa.
J / US

My foreign friends like and respect China. Between countries and peoples, maybe respect is not the most important. Trust and trying to work together are just okay.
T / China

Foreign nations do what they can to hold their people in ignorance. In the United States, the vast majority of citizens know only what disinformation and misinformation they are fed by private media companies with agendas that do not hold the public interest at heart. I believe, for example, that the Beijing Olympics flabbergasted millions of people around the world for the degree to which it exceeded the expectations they had formulated in their ignorance. It is a pity that governments in alliance with private corporate interests have been so successful in controlling information and in converting information into propaganda. The people of the world are ignorant of modern China and the Chinese. They need to be enlightened.
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They treat their own people badly and tolerate it. If you have no respect for yourself, how can you expect others to respect you?
R / US

I believe past history and the cold war years mindset have made western countries ignore not only China and other Asian countries, with "lost of face" and their guilt of colonialism and bias foreign polices are still haunting them in political denial. To respect Communist China would be admitting the west’s failures and faults, they also envy the fast and successful development by a Socialist concept with harmonious influence in which China has demonstrated to the world its peaceful cooperation through dialogue. I do not expect western philosophy to respect peace without a war, it was the west that forged Divide and Conquer into their cultures as absolute. The western development resulted from wars as we look back into human history, and I feel the pity and shame has not developed their sense of higher moral standards compared to China.
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In my opinion China receives a great amount of international respect. The commie stuff is all in the past now and most foreigners I know are impressed by China’s rise, especially after they actually come to China and see it firsthand.
K / UK

Perhaps they are not very serious in their international trading, or with some of their political issues.
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China would like to be respected for some things that the West doesn’t agree or see eye to eye on. China would like to be respected for its harmonious society, while the West is focused on the censorship, internet and otherwise, employed to accomplish this. On the other hand, Western countries are bowing to China’s whims on unprecedented levels when it comes to mentioning or not mentioning sensitive issues. Right now I’d say that many countries, Eastern and Western, are tip toeing around China as delicately as possible, so while they may not “respect” China, they certainly seem to fear China.
S / US
 

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