A very well-written piece. A large part of the misunderstanding of China is due to cultural differences. Western political theory applies best to Western cultures.<p>Most Westerners tend to have knee-jerk reactions to non-democratic forms of government, but there are tradeoffs to each form. Yes, China is not the best when it comes to corruption, censorship of its citizens, and some basic human rights - but it is a strong and centralized government, and the U.S. needs to take China even more seriously than it does now.