If the only reason China is a threat to the West economically, why doesn’t the West, instead of building war machines to invade China, build up their own economy?

如果中国只是在经济上对西方是个威胁，西方为什么不建设自己的经济

以下是Quora网友的评价：

KokHin Lim

This is a very interesting and very accurate question indeed.

To me the English adage that it cannot have the cake and eat it is most apt to described the U.S. capability and capacity. I can either take on Russia or China but it can’t take them both on. It can’t out spent 10 nations in defend spending, keep 800 bases and a dozen aircraft carriers and at the same time rebuild its infrastructure, retrain it’s people, garnering supply chain partners and a ton of stuffs it need to do in order to compete with China.

这确实是一个非常有趣又一针见血的问题。

对我来说，“鱼与熊掌不可兼得”这句格言可以完美描述美国的能力：可以对付俄罗斯或中国，但无法同时对付这两个国家。美国的国防预算无法同时在10个以上国家维持800个基地和12艘航空母舰，同时还要重建基础设施，培训人员，寻找供应链合作伙伴和为了跟中国竞争不得不做的各种事情。

You can’t do both. I doubt if the U.S. can change course but even if they do they still cannot match China in 3 more area. One, China is not only the worlds. Most humongous market and its middle income consumer probably 3 times that of the U.S! But what is worst is China is the fastest and biggest market on earth, Asia which represents 60% of world demand. Size matter, no nation is willing to risk losing these market.

美国不能既要又要。我怀疑美国是否能改变路线，但就算他们做了调整，也无法在另外三个领域与中国匹敌。一、中国和其他国家不一样。最庞大的市场和中等收入消费群体可能达到了美国的3倍之多！但最糟糕的是，中国还是世界上增长最快、规模最大的市场，占世界需求的60%。规模很重要，没有哪个国家愿意承担失去这些市场的风险。

The real US and North American market is simply too small in comparison. But secondly China and Asia are simply way way way more competitive than the west and US in particular. Not only in labour but in automation, in efficiently, in worker productivity. The U.S. and North America is simply not competitive enough. It’s union, it’s CEO greed, its discipline level and the works all is in no match to China.

Thirdly, The US simply has lost its manufacturing and marketing ability to even begin to comprehend today’s complex supply chain manufacturing processes.

相比之下，美国和北美市场实在太小了。其次，中国和亚洲的竞争力远远超过西方，尤其是美国。不仅在劳动力方面如此，而且在自动化、效率和工人生产率方面都是如此。美国和北美根本没有竞争力，它们的工会、CEO的贪婪、纪律水平和工作表现都无法与中国相提并论。

第三，美国已经失去了制造和营销能力，甚至已经搞不明白如今复杂的供应链制造过程了。

Johannes Sulistyo

When you are defeated in a game of chess, you challenge them to play checkers, and when you are defeated again, you challenge them into a game of bridge. Finally, when you are about to lose the final game, you then realise that the guy has some superior intellectual capacity. In order to assert your dominance and hegemony amongst the group, then you challenge them into a boxng match. Go physical when your brain is not even a match.

当你输了一盘国际象棋后，你要求再下一盘跳棋，输了以后你又要求打一局桥牌。最后你又输了，这时你才意识到这个家伙真的智商过人。为了维护你在群体中的统治地位和霸权，你可以要求打一场拳击赛。既然脑子比不过对手，就试着拼体格吧。

Western politicians, especially Americans, are completely clueless about economics, sometimes because they are just stupid. Sometimes, they just pick what resonates with their idiot audiences. Foe example, Harvard graduate like Ron DeSantis are worried more about the children not turning out like him and gender pronouns than matter of substance befitting his academic stature. In his constituency and political organisation, people believe the government is a problem, not a solution. Thus they reduce and limit their influence on sha economic policies.

西方政治家，尤其是美国的政治家，对经济学一无所知，有时是因为他们实在太蠢了。有时是因为他们只想引起白痴观众的共鸣。例如，像罗恩·德桑蒂斯这样的哈佛毕业生更担心的是孩子们不会像他一样，而不是与他的学术地位相称的实质问题。在他的选区和政治团体中，人们认为政府是个问题，不是解决方案。因此，他们减少并限制了对制定经济政策的影响。

Lethargic uncompetitive American company that has been benefiting from lazy protectionism and lobbying to keep it up suddenly have to deal with the threat of foreign competition, oh what can they do?

Of course, not competing fairly. Manufacture cases, create stories, fabricate narratives - your competitor is from a country with lower standards, they are unethical, they do business with sweatshops, they have no labour rights, they deal with human ri hts violators - and when nobody cared - you arrived at last resort: “they are not proudly American”.

长期从懒散的保护主义和游说中受益的毫无竞争力的美国公司，突然被迫直面外国竞争的威胁，哎，他们能做什么呢？

当然不能公平竞争了。于是乎，他们捏造案例，编造故事—说那个竞争对手质量标准差啦，他们不道德啦，血汗工厂啦，没有劳工权利啦，侵犯人*啦—如果还是没有人关心，就使出杀手锏：“他们不是自豪的美国人”。

Now that’s business.

What about the authorities, the officials, the government?

People can be smug when they see the Chinese drive Buicks and VWs, use iPhone, chug PBRs, but when western people uses BYD or Huawei - they see something foul going on in the air.

Let’s just say it: plain old predictable racism. I mean as a guy living in Asia. It is not the first time people jeered at “Made in the middle of some Jungle of Malaysia” or “slums of India”. But China is different.

以上还属于商业领域。

那么当局，官员，政府呢？

人们看到中国人开着别克和大众，用着iPhone，可能还会觉得洋洋得意，但如果西方人使用比亚迪或华为，他们就觉得这些东西不能入眼。

这么说吧：这就是老套的种族主义。我的意思是，作为一个生活在亚洲的人，我听到过无数次人们嘲讽“马来西亚丛林制造”或“印度贫民窟”，但中国不同。

It is a nation of 1.4 billion people doing things.

The government effectively maintained tight control on them. They can do everything in better unison than others.

中国是一个拥有14亿人口的国家。

政府对他们进行了严格管控，所以中国人做任何事都更统一。

The government wants the smart people to work for them, maintain a long term view, plan things grandiously.

The government doesn’t let too many distraction from disturbing their goals. People who furiously complain are only heard by people who have the capacity to listen to such complaints. They don’t let incompetent people fight each other for political spectacle to distract the masses.

中国希望聪明的人才为他们工作，用长远的眼光制定宏伟的计划。

中国心无旁骛，不会让纷杂之事干扰他们的目标。他们不会让无能之辈为了政治而相互争斗，分散群众的注意力。

These are the privileges not given to the western governments, of course not without some drawbacks.

But reading ordinary Westerner stories, people actually care more about being able to afford going to the Pub every Saturday with friends, pay tuition fees, own a decent house, and access the healthcare.

These are economic improvement stuffs, and it is difficult. People in the west always complaints, never praises. They are conditioned to be proud of being able to slander their leaders. Nobody in the government is motivated to do good for them, unless when it is time to get their votes.

这些都是西方政府无法企及的特权，当然这也并非完美无瑕。

但反观普通西方人，人们更关心的是每周六能不能和朋友去酒吧，能不能付得起学费，能不能拥有一所像样的房子，能不能享受医疗保健。

这些都关乎经济条件的改善，难度很大。西方人总是抱怨，从不夸赞。他们以诋毁领导人而感到自豪。除非到了需要选民投票的时候，否则政府中没有官员愿意为他们做点好事。

Things they care the least is being able to pressure some Malawian official or Nicaraguan government to do their bidding or forcefully tell Bahrainis to be more de ocratic.

These are geopolitical BS. Western politicians are more interested in this, just like some media, resource extracting company, plantations, or other big interests. They are with a lot of money for incentives to get politicians to do some international “doing good things” in exchange for some business dealings. The media will write a good story that goes to your autobiography, the business pays you your campaign contribution or lobbying money.

他们最不关心的事情就是能不能向马拉维官员或尼加拉瓜政府施压，让他们乖乖听话，或者强迫巴林人更加皿煮。

这些都是地缘政治的废话。西方政客对此更感兴趣，他们和一些媒体、资源开采公司、种植园或其他大利益集团一样。他们有很多钱来激励政治家做一些国际“善举”，换取一些商业交易。媒体会为你写一篇精彩的自传，企业会为你支付竞选捐款或游说资金。

L.K.

It’s so sorry. China is not the China of 100 years ago, also not Iraq or Afghanistan. The collective West doesn’t dare invade China.

The truth may be unacceptable to westerners, but they have to accept it.

真的很抱歉。中国早已不是100年前的中国了，更不是伊拉克或阿富汗。西方国家都不敢入侵中国。

西方人可能无法接受真相，但他们不得不接受。

Joseph Tin

Building up their own economy requires serious hard work. Hy China threats could boost national defense budgets and politicians could get kickbacks and political contributions from defense contractors. Its a lot easier.

打造自己的经济需要好好努力。炒作中国威胁论就有可能增加国防预算，政客们可以从国防承包商那里获得回扣和政治献金。这可简单多了。

Richard Kenneth Eng

The USA is trying to start a war with China. That’s the reason for US naval exercises in Chinese waters.

That’s the reason for additional military bases in Philippines.

That’s the reason for the Quad and AUKUS pacts.

That’s the reason for Taiwan interference (selling arms and sending Congressional delegations).

美国正试图向中国挑起战争。这就是美国海军在中国海域进行演习的原因。

这就是美国在菲律宾增设军事基地的原因。

这就是签订Quad和AUKUS协议的原因。

这就是干涉台弯事务(对台出售军火、派遣国会代表团)的原因。

I’m just waiting for a false flag event (like Gulf of Tonkin).

The West has mature economies. Mature economies by nature cannot grow much faster.

In fact, China’s economy is maturing, too. That’s why it no longer enjoys 9–10% annual GDP growth. But as a still-develo economy, it’s doing quite well at 5%, while Western economies can barely do 2%.

我在等一场假旗行动(比如北部湾事件)。

西方拥有成熟的经济。从本质上讲，成熟经济体不可能实现更快的增长了。

事实上，中国经济也在走向成熟。这就是中国难再保持9-10%的GDP年增长率的原因。但作为一个仍在发展中的经济体，中国5%的增速已经相当不错了，西方经济体只能勉强达到2%的水平。

Two other factors weigh in here:

China has 4X the population of the USA. This is a tremendous demographic advantage.

China has a far stronger, more capable and intelligent government. It’s able to do things that Western countries can only dream of.

还有另外两个因素：

中国的人口是美国的4倍之多。这是一个巨大的人口优势。

中国拥有更强大、更有能力、更聪明的政府，能够做到西方国家只能做梦想想的事情。

Bob MacKenzie

The American government is controlled by old foggies that have known only force, intimidation, and coercion to get what they want. They just do not know how to compete on an even playing field.

控制美国政府的是一群老顽固，他们只知道用武力、恐吓和胁迫来达到自己的目的。他们不懂该如何在公平的竞争环境中展开竞争。

Prabhash C. Ojha

China has never been a threat for the west. Western countries are always keen to show their supremacy while China relies on its own resources.

中国从来都不是西方的威胁。西方国家总喜欢展示自己的霸权，而中国依赖自己的资源。

Nick Ford

The question is based on a false premise.

If the evidence does not match your theory, then your theory is wrong.

Economics is NOT the only reason why China is perceived to be a threat to the West.

The West is NOT building war machines to invade China.

These childish claims are associated with pathetic teenage trolls trying to incite social conflict to make them feel important.

这个问题的前提就错了。

如果证据和你的理论不符，那么你的理论肯定是错的。

在西方国家的眼中，中国的威胁并不局限于经济。

西方并没有打造战争机器来入侵中国。

这些幼稚的说法就是那帮可怜的小年轻喷子们搞出来的，他们试图煽动社会冲突，彰显自己的重要性。

Andrew Low

Too much hard work for the poltiicans in the West to do. Easier to give press interviews and used them for anti-China rethoric to pander to their voters. Do you know how many hours you need to put in to create economic models, apply your policies and see how they work out? How many hours of pow wow to write policy papers, negotiate with all the different interest groups? I may not be voted back after 4–5 years. So why waste time.

西方的政客们要做的工作太多了。接受媒体采访，用反华言论来迎合选民，岂不是更简单些？你知道创建经济模型、实施政策并观察成效需要花多少时间吗？撰写政策文件、和各个利益集团谈判又需要多少时间？4-5年后搞不好还无法连任，为什么要浪费时间呢？