Those US sanctions have 2 functions, practically stalling Chinese growth (they don't accomplish much in this area).
That's a waste of a sentence, which is pretty normal practice nowadays coming out of US politics. Just like how Rubio passes tens of new laws against China every day, yet all are trivial. But hey, at least they tried. Now when the US people in the future put them on trial, they can just throw these back as evidences: "look all these legislature I threw at China, you can't seriously accuse me of inaction!".
But the second is that they hurt Chinese reputation, in the world. "Look we're giving them sanctions every two days, but they can't do much about it..."
This is another total bullshit. The people in the world and their educated elites are NOT stupid. The only stupid ones are the Americans: they do all these useless Rubio virtual-signaling, only to receive equally fake and ingenuine response from the people in the world. Now you have country like Germany paying lip service to the US with these "China Bad", while at the same time, vastly increase their actual business and co-operation with China both under the table and out in the open.
If China's reputation is truly tarnished by such scum-like thug-like tricks of the USA, how on earth did China manage to get Iran and Saudi-Arabia on the negotiation table to mend their relations?
These American thug-ocracy only manage to fool their own people and the idiots who choose to believe in them. You are welcome to believe in them.
China must either step up its sanction game, or respond in some other kind of way to preserve face.
Do you even know what "save face" means? Why do you guys act like children: you learn a new word, and you repeat that word everywhere. This is what I don't like the most about the Western style of academia: they LOVE to treat foreign knowledge and wisdom like some kind of exotic "eastern mysticism" bullshit. Making Suntzu into some kind of magician, or Confucius into some kind of weirdo spewing incoherent words of confusion all the time. Every educated Chinese thinks of "克己复礼" when Confucius is mentioned, not some incoherent words of confusion. You think it's funny, we don't.
You don't know what "save face" means, Chinese political thoughts, ideas, methodologies, discourse all has no mentioning of "save face" in their discourse. "Save face" is what we Chinese call a "市井词汇", using it automatic degrades the level of seriousness in the context of any political discourse.
They should also start threatening the US like they threaten China every other day.
《留候论》：“人情有所不能忍者，匹夫见辱，拔剑而起，挺身而斗，此不足为勇也。天下有大勇者，卒然临之而不惊，无故加之而不怒。” This is written in 1061 AD, centuries before the US started to exist. Do I even need to tell you how primitive your perception is?
Average person just listen to those US sanctions every other day and thinks "Those sanctions against China are really working, China must be so backward to be getting sanctioned on everything..."
When on earth does the average person ever matters, in the grant scheme of history? Don't you ever doubt the motive of those who keep telling you that "you, the regular Joe, actually matters in the grand scheme of history"?
Well, to be honest, I would really doubt the motive behind those who propel the perception that a regular blue collar Joe in the US who has never gone outside of their region in their life time actually matters. I am sorry that I am this harsh. But that's the truth.
