In the early 2000’s, Ms. Wang, a former Red Guard, told me that China would win a war with America because China was willing to accept deaths of many PLA soldiers. She went on to say that Americans were not as tough as Chinese, because America coddled its citizens’ lives.

She, and other Chinese, think Americans will do anything to avoid losing life. Chinese leaders see that as a strategic advantage. Chinese leaders confuse protecting all individuals’ lives, liberties, ideas, and properties with weakness. It is the Communist Party of China’s strategic failure not to realize that protecting individuals’ rights makes communities that do protect people’s rights stronger than those that do not.

While Deng Xiaoping could act with brutality, he could also demonstrate brilliance in implementing policies that began raising protections of people’s rights in China. Xi Jinping displays capabilities for acting brutally, too. Sadly, for peace around the world, he shows no aptitude for appreciating the long-term strategic advantages gained from the fundamental principle of protecting individuals’ rights.

Ms. Wang and I ended our discussion with the story of Aron Ralston—an American. Trapped while canyoneering, Aron cut off his own arm with a pocketknife to escape and survive. Talk about tough.