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> I believe China to be a mercantile culture

“Mercantilism is a national economic policy that is designed to maximize the exports of a nation” [1]. This is what China used to be. (Starting, mostly, with Deng Xiaoping.) Xi prioritising force projection and jingoism is a shift away from mercantilism.

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercantilism

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Mercantilism not only targets exports. It also tries to halt all non necessary imports, so the country retains as much value as possible.

They are nationalist, and want to gain things at the expense of others all the time (I don't have first-hand experience but I believe it to be so).

So when I say China is mercantilist, I am referring more to their approach to relations as a zero-sum game.

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