Last night’s events — I believe you all witnessed them. And like you, my feelings are complicated, a tangle of emotions I can’t quite sort into words.
But feelings are feelings. Reason must never be abandoned — especially when it comes to matters of national importance.
My readers, on average, are without question the most thoughtful audience anywhere online. So I trust that you have the rationality and wisdom to follow where I’m going with this.
1 — Choosing not to escalate blindly, for now, is actually the right move.
The reason we’ve become a great power is not spite or impulse — it’s always been our capacity for clear-eyed, rational judgment. It’s the long view, the grand strategic vision, not reactive emotion.
A goal that will inevitably come to us through our own development — is it worth betting everything on right now?
I think you already know the answer.
So this time, refusing to bite the bait our opponent has deliberately dangled in front of us, and instead maintaining our composed, measured posture — biding our time and building our strength (韬光养晦) — is precisely the wisest choice.
2 — We need to trust the wisdom and patience of those at the top.
Do you know what? Every time we issue a condemnation, there are follow-up actions — it’s just that most people aren’t aware of them.
Vietnam, the Philippines, and India all had disputes with us in the South China Sea. We issued condemnations. Now look at where our ten-dash line reaches.
India had friction with us at Doklam. We issued condemnations. Today, our line of actual control has advanced by dozens of kilometers, and permanent infrastructure — airports, roads — has been built.
Then there’s the Diaoyu Islands, which made so much noise not long ago. Today, regular patrol operations there have become routine.
So when the upcoming military exercises happen, many people will feel frustrated — like it’s not enough, like it doesn’t feel as satisfying as striking hard and fast.
But in reality, this is the most concrete path forward. It is the intermediate step in a march toward victory. If you’re curious, take a look at the diagram below.
3 — Who, exactly, is our enemy?
This is a question I suspect many people — including many so-called opinion leaders — have never thought through clearly.
Our enemy is not simply a white-haired American politician like Pelosi. It’s not a group of ranchers in Montana. It’s not the white financial elites on Wall Street.
Our enemy is the entirety of dollar-backed capitalism as a system.
This enemy’s goal over the past decade-plus has been unmistakably clear: to fan flames of conflict around the world at any cost, all to accelerate the return flow of capital.
Then it prints money, uses that capital to repatriate resources back to its homeland, and becomes what it is today — a capital Leviathan, a super-consumer of global wealth.
And its foundational power was laid after World War II: the Yalta system, the Bretton Woods system, and the New Deal together gave it an almost unassailable base.
This is an extraordinarily powerful adversary. It cannot be defeated by a formidable deep-sea fleet alone. It requires the united resolve of all of us — comprehensive parity and ultimately superiority in technology, finance, culture, and military power. Only then will it yield.
When we have that strength, the treasure island will naturally find its way home, without need for force.
4 — Peace. Peace truly transcends everything.
According to public data, nearly 30% of American soldiers who served in the Middle East returned home with severe stress disorders that seriously impacted their daily lives.
Mood swings. Anxiety. Mental breakdown. Alcoholism. Lethargy. Intense fear of sudden sounds and lights.
Bear in mind — those soldiers in the Middle East were living in large barracks, riding in armored vehicles, eating three solid meals a day, going out on patrol occasionally. There were no large-scale combat operations, no genuine life-threatening danger to speak of.
And yet.
All it might have taken was one moment — witnessing a comrade’s death up close, or seeing a battlefield that looked like hell on earth: a burning village, a crossfire site.
If that’s what broke them, imagine what would become of our lives — ordinary people’s lives — the day two world superpowers truly face off.
Peace is not cheap. It never was.
The fact that we can sit in air-conditioned rooms on a sweltering summer day, eat ice cream without a care, scroll through our phones with friends — all of that has a price.
It was paid for, truly, with the blood and sweat of our People’s Liberation Army soldiers and our People’s Armed Police.
Compared to a moment of hot-headed pride, peace is the real priceless treasure.
It’s like air. When you have it, you barely notice it. But lose it for a moment?
Please — treasure peace. Treasure every person who has contributed to keeping it.
5 — A closing thought.
I remain full of confidence in our nation’s future. I remain utterly convinced that the reunification of our land is inevitable.
And what I believe in most deeply is the greatness of the Chinese people — which includes our diligence, our courage, and above all, our wisdom.
Because I have you as my fellow countrymen and women, I am certain — absolutely certain — that we will navigate every challenge this era and this world sends our way with composure, intelligence, and grace.