Regarding Roger Pulvers' Jan. 9 article, "Let's hope China doesn't fall into the same traps that Japan once did": I wonder whether Pulvers holds too pessimistic a view of China. True, there seem to be some similarities between China in the early 21st century and Japan in the 1930s, but there is also a considerable difference.
Japan deployed a full 1 million troops on the Chinese mainland throughout the Sino-Japanese War of 1937-1945, which caused the deaths of more than 10 million Chinese people and the destruction of their properties. Yet, no Chinese armed force has invaded Japan's main islands or massacred Japanese noncombatants in the past several centuries.
Japan bolted from the League of Nations in 1933, while the People's Republic of China has remained a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council (since 1971).
At present, some 128,000 Chinese study at universities in the United States, promising to constitute part of the future leadership of China, while only 25,000 Japanese are enrolled at American colleges, according to figures provided by the U.S. Institute of International Education in November.
I believe that China will grow into a peaceful and prosperous country under able leadership in the decades ahead. I think Pulvers' view of the country is based on imaginary fears.