It's a crisis of faith.
How can China, a communist, collectivist, one party state possibly do better than capitalist, individualist, "democratic" countries, despite the plethora of evidence. If it's true than perhaps both the dogma that democracy solves all problems, and the publicly accepted image of China in the west isn't true.
But no that can't be right, so let's not think about it too hard.
We have the superior ideology, form of governance, the biggest companies. STRONKEST military.
We are the best in everything.
Thus it makes no logical sense that we even can lose in a fair competition.
If, some how we lost, it must be due to others cheating.
Everything wrong is because of others and not me.
I am the BEST.