[Opinion] The Art of War

Microsoft CEO Bill Gates has achieved worldwide success through the computer operations system Windows and various software businesses. But it wasn’t always a smooth road for him. Endless lawsuits were filed against the company for monopolization and alleged patent breaches.

One of the books that Gates read to help him overcome the hard times was “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu. The 2,500-year-old book from the Chinese warring states era has come to life in the 21st Century as a state-of-the-art technology businessman’s strategy blueprint.

It is said that the first time the U.S. became interested in the book was through the Korean War. As American troops fought against their Chinese counterparts, the U.S. believed, The Art of War was the secret to their power and made it a must-read among soldiers and war researchers.

During the 1991 Gulf War, U.S. General Norman Schwarzkopf said, “I only put into practice the Art of War by Sun Tzu.” Even in U.S. bookstores these days, the translated version can easily be found.

During his visit in the U.S., the Hong Kong press reported that Chinese president Hu Jintao plans to give American president George W. Bush a copy of “The Art of War” with an inscription saying, “To fight 100 times is not the best. Instead, to not fight and win is the best.” It can be construed that the Chinese president gave this book to criticize the unilateralism of the U.S.

When Hu visited Microsoft headquarters in Seattle on April 18, he left a message saying, “The friendship between America and China is forever.” That night, he participated in a dinner that Bill Gates gave. It is not certain whether “The Art of War” was mentioned.

The reason why the White House state dinner that the Chinese had hoped for did not happen was because the U.S. determined that Hu’s visit did not merit official state visit status. Let’s see how the U.S.-China relations work out because of that.

Han Gi-heung, Editorial Writer, eligius@donga.com