Catherine Rampell

Look, there's been some good reporting recently about how China increasingly views the United States as a declining power.

Not just China, presumably for that matter, but it's pretty important that China views us that way.

For a very, very long time, China kind of, I don't know if looked up to us as the right characterization, but in many ways wanted to emulate the United States in terms of our leadership,

living standards, our influence around the world.

They wanted to do it a little bit differently, right?

You know, socialism with Chinese characteristics rather than calling it capitalism.

And their soft power was of a different form.

And they said that they weren't going to intervene or admonish economic partners if they committed human rights abuses, unlike the United States.

But they wanted to have the same kind of power and influence and market share.

Around the world that they envied the United States as having.

I worked in China a very long time ago in the early 2000s.

And I remember that... What city?

In Beijing.

I was working for NBC News.

And it was in the lead up to the 2008 Olympics.

And I remember this was seen as China's big...

coming out party.

And there was a lot of like emulation of American culture and inviting American pop culture celebrities.

I remember I went to the MTV awards in China while I was there.

And there was a lot of like sort of knockoff versions of American pop culture icons and economic