When you “punish” a nation, you are primarily punishing its most vulnerable people. Who then hate you and turn to their leaders for protection. Meanwhile and

When you “punish” a nation, you are primarily punishing its most vulnerable people. Who then hate you and turn to their leaders for protection. Meanwhile and especially in China, the leadership has to save face and look like they’re doing something, so at minimum they will retaliate in kind. The larger issue too is that the west seeing themselves in a superior position where they can punish a nation as big as China like it was an unruly child is the attitude of someone whose understanding of international politics is 40 years out of date. It ain’t like that anymore.