America historically has acted as if it could participate in or withdraw from international affairs at will. In the Chinese perception of itself as the Middle Kingdom, the idea of the sovereign equality of states was unknown. Until the end of the 19th century, China treated foreign countries as various categories of vassals. China never encountered a country of comparable magnitude until European armies imposed an end to its seclusion. A foreign ministry was not established until 1861, and then primarily for dealing with colonialist invaders.
美国历来的表现就好像它可以随心所欲地参与或退出国际事务。中国人过去自视为“中央王国”，在他们的脑海里，国家的主权平等是闻所未闻的概念。直到19世纪末，中国一直把外国当成各种附庸。在欧洲国家军队打破它的与世隔绝状态之前，中国从未遇到过面积与之相当的国家。中国直到1861年才设立了外交部门，当时主要负责与殖民主义侵略者打交道。
