I don't have a problem with the US bullying others. My problem is that people here on HN and in the west in general, demonizing China for doing the exact same thing when the US has done worse. They think it's ok to boycott Chinese products, but they won't boycott product from their own country. They will say that the Chinese government is evil, but is completely ok with the government of their own. They will say China has no right to bully Vietnam, but they will vote in politicians who advocate for war with just about anyone.

It's hypocritical. Don't demonize China unless you're willing to demonize yourself.

Hell, don't demonize China unless you read their point of view too. I'm sure you're only getting one POV.

> An awful lot of folks here agree it’s wrong for anyone to bully anyone in any context, especially nations bullying the people of another country.

Sure, but the hypocrisy is also in how things get reported. See for example:

https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/us-china...

Which says:

> through incentives and pressure on consortium members.

No doubt this would be "bribes and threats" if it were done by a geopolitical opponent.

Second, posts critical of the US tend to get many less votes or flagged quickly, with people calling it whataboutism in posts about China or Russia. That leaves no space to properly discuss those things.

Finally, it’s good to have things in a realist context. It’s idealist thinking if we get upset when a geopolitical enemy does something which is commonplace in out own country and that if allies.