The quibbling, quarreling world today is in dire need of the kind of rounded, yin/yang wisdom epitomized by Lee in his prime, whether it be in regard to racial harmony, the US-China trade war, or civil unrest in Hong Kong.

China’s soft power offensive in Africa has enabled it to make gains that have largely eluded it in the developed world, but it cannot be considered soft power in the traditional sense.

The pageantry of China’s National Day celebrations was quickly followed by an embarrassing belittlement of one of America’s great soft power success stories: basketball.

When America sidles up to Hong Kong rioters and Taiwan separatists, it follows a pattern that infringes on China’s sovereignty and violates principles of international law.

Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey’s tweet in support of the Hong Kong protests reflects deeper bias, misinformation and conflicting accounts about recent events in Hong Kong. A more nuanced understanding of the situation is warranted.

Since its founding, the country has charted its own path based on socialism’s best practices. It needs to keep learning and improving.

Over the last four decades, China has integrated into global networks in trade, finance, data, and culture (encompassing social values, religion, and political beliefs). But, as the United States embraces protectionism, continued progress on global integration will require China to adjust its approach.

The celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China on October 1 will be an exuberant affair, involving glitzy cultural events, an extravagant state dinner attended by Chinese and foreign luminaries, and a grand military parade in Tiananmen Square. And, at a time of high tensions with US President Donald Trump’s administration, it will be imbued with an extra dose of patriotic enthusiasm. But while China has much to celebrate, it also has much work to do.

Over the past four decades, China has made stunning achievements - its GDP has become the world’s second largest, its contribution to world economy has reached 30 percent, and the country will officially bid farewell to poverty by 2020. Following four decades of reforms, China accomplished what took the West hundreds of years. It has also attracted suspicion.

The status of the conflict in the South China Sea has moved from concerning to critical, as reflected by the changing ASEAN rhetoric concerning the topic. The future of the South China Sea remains dependent on how China and other claimants proceed.