How China Thinks, Strategically.

Strongly Philosophical, Highly Ambiguous

China has defeated Capitalism’s 75-year campaign to cripple, dismember or destroy it, thanks to its strategic thinking, a cultural asset developed over three thousand years. Political scientist Yu Rubo says that Chinese traditional strategic thinking has six chacteristics:

1. Strong Philosophical Nature, High Ambiguity. Chinese traditional strategic thinking contains rich and distinctive dialectical thought, particularly the principles of war guidance formed on the basis of "contrarian yet aligned with the Way" and the principles of national and military management formed on the principle of "achieving balance and harmony," which still shine with wisdom today. These expositions are highly philosophical and widely applicable, often expressed in aphoristic style, concise yet profound, offering deep inspiration and broad associations, applicable not only in military contexts but also in non-military fields such as politics, diplomacy, economics, medicine, and sports. However, this also leads to high ambiguity and weak specificity. The same concept or viewpoint can often be interpreted in multiple ways, sometimes even in stark contrast.

2. Strength in Holistic Thinking, Weakness in Precise Analysis. Chinese traditional strategic thinking emphasizes grasping the whole, focusing on interconneded systems, and overseeing the entire developmental process, exhibiting the characteristics of comprehensiveness, systematicity, and cyclicality, forming a three-dimensional holistic thinking model. Compared to Western thinlcing, this model has its strengths but often shows weaknesses in lacking precise analysis of phenomena, being particularly deficient in quantitative analysis, and possessing a "broad-brush" thinking trait, understanding the "what" but not the "why." This is a significant reason why Chinese strategic thinlcing and practice lagged behind in modem times. However, Western analytical thinking also has its weaknesses. Combining these two thinking modes organically should be the ideal thinking model for human development in the future.

3. Abundance of Analogical Reasoning, Lack of Logical Argumentation. Our