LETTER: Wishful thinking on China

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, speaks at a symposium commemorating the 75th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War in Beijing, China on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020. President Xi Jinping on Thursday praised China's spirit of resistance in commemorating the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in the Pacific, saying any attempt to alter the nation's course under Communist Party rule would be resisted by all of its 1.4 billion citizens. (Xie Huanchi/Xinhua via AP)

Jonah Goldberg’s March 5 commentary, “The China Issue,” was hollow and misses the central issue. The article’s sub-head is, “How the United States can turn the country from a foe into a friendly competitor,” yet nowhere does he describe how this is to be accomplished.

More significantly, Mr. Goldberg ends by stating that our dealings with China should “provide a path toward China being a friendly economic competitor.” This is certainly a pleasant idea. Unfortunately, the author is living in a fantasy world. China will never be a “friendly economic competitor” and will continue to be a dangerous military threat as long as it remains a totalitarian state. Friendly economic competition takes place only among modern democracies. Modern democracies do not start wars. Totalitarian states do.