ABSTRACT
Since the first missionaries and explorers arrived on China’s shores, Westerners have gazed upon East Asia with a mixture of awe, quizzical scrutiny, and even disdain. The West has long held this part of the world as a distant other, where riches and potential abound, but where differences are great enough that the cultural divide always looms in the background, threatening to swallow even the most amicable trade relations. In recent years, as China has emerged from its isolation and entered the global economy, debates over how to view, acknowledge, and accept Asian differences have taken on a pitched tenor, as the realms of economics, politics, military prowess, and human rights have all become intertwined in a discussion of weighty questions. Is democracy a universal ideal to which all nations should aspire? What individual rights should we consider inalienable? To what extent should economic and political relations among nations be intertwined? Will China ultimately be friend and economic partner, or military foe? And to what extent do cultural differences-particularly differences between East and West-play a role in how we address these issues?
