Appeasement only breeds bullying: What the Chinese learned from history on how to deal with a bully
"To cede land to Qin is like fueling a fire with firewood: as long as the firewood remains, the flames will continue to rage."
Editor's note:
Hello and welcome to the "Big Argument" column, a distinctive commentary column in our newsletter that diverges from traditional Western narratives and perspectives. It focuses on hot-button issues that have yet to fully reflect the Chinese stance and perspective. Some notable pieces of the column, which are also among the most engaging articles in the history of this newsletter include Three key takeaways from latest Taiwan Strait military drills and Stabilizing U.S.-China relations: Trump can do it, if drawing lessons from past.
You might find that some views in the article differ from the typical Western perspectives, but I believe understanding different viewpoints might be one of the reasons some of you subscribe to this newsletter.
Today's article is authored by Zhai Xiang, an international relations research fellow at Xinhua Institute, a high-end think tank based in Beijing. Zhai is also an alumnus of both Cornell and Stanford Universities and serves as a member of China's National Cultural Relics Society.
Zhai previously contributed to China-US Focus with his insightful piece "Sharp Eyes Needed to See Truth," which debunked the myth about Stanford's founder allegedly burying Chinese workers while examining how misinformation exacerbates Sino-American tensions.
In today's piece. Zhai's article draws parallels between contemporary U.S. trade coercion and ancient China's Warring States period (475-221 BC), using the "The Discourse on the Six States" (六国论) to warn against appeasement and advocate for collective actions to maintain a just global order.
"Multilateralism is the cornerstone of the post-WWII international order, and solidarity and cooperation are the greatest common denominators of the international community. Yet some countries have developed a seriously distorted perception of the world," said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi lately, affirming China's position at the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Rio de Janeiro.
Wang also pointed out that the United States, having long reaped enormous benefits from free trade, is now using tariffs as leverage to extort exorbitant demands from other nations. If the international community chooses to stay silent or to compromise and back down, it will only embolden the bullies to push even harder.
This brings to mind "The Discourse on the Six States (六国论)," a political essay written close to 1,000 years ago by Su Xun, a renowned scholar of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). This essay has been passed down through generations and is still studied in Chinese high school textbooks.
In light of recent U.S. actions, such as imposing sweeping tariffs on countries worldwide, offering a 90-day tariff deferral with China excluded, and trying to restrict trade relations between other nations and China, many Chinese netizens have revisited this ancient text for its enduring relevance.
During the Warring States Period (475-221 BC) two millennia ago, the royal court had lost its authority. Seven most powerful states vied for dominance. Among them, the western state of Qin was the strongest, yet still not powerful enough to unify China on its own as long as the others remained united. Qin ultimately prevailed and unified China not by brute force alone, but by dismantling alliances, sowing discord, and coercing territorial concessions -- a classic strategy of divide and conquer.
As observers at the time succinctly warned:
"To cede land to Qin is like fueling a fire with firewood: as long as the firewood remains, the flames will continue to rage (以地事秦，犹抱薪救火，薪不尽，火不灭)."
In this discourse for his imperial court, Su argued that those who did not bribe Qin were destroyed because others did. "They lost external support and could not survive on their own."
Therefore, his conclusion was "the fundamental problem lay in appeasing Qin."
He also noted that the land lost through appeasement outweighed that lost through war, by a hundredfold. What Qin truly desired, and what the six states feared most, was never war itself. The rulers, inheriting lands hard-won by their ancestors, gave them away in exchange for fleeting peace. "Five cities today, ten cities tomorrow, and the rulers slept soundly for just one night. But by the next morning, Qin's armies would be back at their gates for more."
China, with over 5,000 years of continuous civilization, holds a vast reservoir of historical records, rich in experiences, lessons and wisdom. For most of that long history, China had no contact with the United States, a nation founded in 1776. Of course, China has not just survived, but thrived, by drawing strength from its past.
The fate of the six states serves as a timeless warning: appeasement and retreat in the face of coercion do not bring security, but rather invite further disrespect and aggression. Silence is not safety; retreat is not protection. From "The Discourse on the Six States," we learn not why submission makes sense, but why it fails.
Only through upholding principles and embracing collective actions can nations stand up to coercion on the global stage, safeguard their own interests, and defend international justice. This, too, is the wisdom that history offers China and all who seek fairness, dignity, and peace in today's world.
The U.S. administration must come to terms with the simple truth: maximum pressure tactics will not work on China. A truly responsible major power should lead by example, and this means returning to rationality, respecting the legitimate concerns and dignity of other nations, and working to build a more just, inclusive and stable international order. That is the only path to lasting peace and shared prosperity.
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