With all due respect, from an emotional intelligence and metaphorical perspective, some of the behaviour we are observing from the West towards China is very much like watching an emotionally inept man (Australia) take his offended wife (China) to court over the semantics of his recently abusive behaviour towards her while she was being coy.
Men do not achieve their aims by acting like a petulant child. This is not a display of emotional intelligence.
Grown men know that you can’t ‘tell’ a woman (or for that matter, anyone) to do anything. Instead, you earn trust and respect, then you receive the rewards of your behaviour.
In this metaphor, If the man simply apologised for his uncouth behaviour, bought her chocolates and flowers (and attended anger management counselling), he could be having a very good time on date night.
Insofar as relationships go, her family has the wisdom of members like Sun Tzu and Lao Tzu, whose lessons are taught at our military academies.
And this emotionally inept man thinks he can out play her?
Her family has traded for 5000 years.
His for 200.
But he thinks he is better and wiser than her.
If I was this man's father, I would be talking some sense into him to the tune of Kenny Rogers' Gambler.
My dear son, you really don’t understand women at all.
Let me teach you, before they do.
Glyn MacLean Managing Director Red Circle Network China Culture & Commerce www.redcirclenetwork.com WeChat ID: glyn-maclean