A Chinese government official has called on Beijing to get over its national self-esteem issues.
Wu Jianmin, president of the China Foreign Affairs University and a former ambassador to European nations, told the Zhongguo Qingnian Bao newspaper last week that foreign domination of China in the past has created a weak outlook for the Chinese.
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Wu Jianmin is the President of China Foreign Affairs University
CNN
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“Such people will be overjoyed with positive remarks, and will spread nice words around as if their own value will be enhanced by the positive remarks from others,” Wu said. “They will not think through criticism, and will rebut it as anti-China.”
While there are anti-China forces, Wu said those who praise China “may not really be kind to China” and critics “may not necessarily be ill-intentioned.”
Wu also said the weakness is manifest in exaggerating achievements “just to please themselves,” are oblivious of weakness and shortcomings, and contemptuous of small and weak nations as a result of “great nation chauvinism.”
The Chinese are suffering from an inferiority complex and a feeling of shame before “big and strong powers,” he said.
“The weak nation mentality will make us arrogant and complacent,” Wu stated. “We will lose friends and face more hardships and dangers in our development.”
“In our final analysis, a weak nation mentality reflects a lack of confidence and an inability to comprehensively and objectively view ourselves and the world,” he said. “It is caused by China's history of humiliation. To abandon such mentality, we still have a long way to go as it cannot be easily overcome. To abandon such mentality, we must be practical and realistic in understanding ourselves and the world. We must understand the harmfulness of such mentality, and garner our courage to overcome difficulties in our road of advancement.”
Pentagon officials have said China is at a crossroads and could develop as a normal nation within the international system or become a hostile power. They believe that China will select its path in the next few years.
