Brightbridge Wealth Management Headlines:Do Americans hold “simple” ideas about China’s economy?

Wang Qishan, China’s vice-premier, caused a bit of a stir this week when he accused Americans of having “simple” ideas about his nation during an interview on “The Charlie Rose Show.” According to a transcript, Wang said:

It is not easy to really know China because China is an ancient civilization and we are of the oriental culture. And for the Americans, the United States is the world’s number one superpower, and the American people are a very simple people. If they’re asked to choose to understand a foreign country, their first choice would be the European countries, and the South American countries may come second. It was not only until recent years that the American people have begun to pay more attention to China. But over the years American media coverage of China has been scarce, and if there were some coverage, most of them are lopsided.

Wang’s views about the “simple-mindedness” of Americans when it comes to the world are widely held by people just about everywhere – and they sting. I am American and I am confronted by this accusation wherever I go. My experience tells me that the average American is no more narrow-minded about the world than the average person anywhere else – let alone in China, where the Chinese aren’t allowed free access to information by their government.http://brightbridge-wealthmanagement.com/?p=17