> There was opportunity to learn this lesson before.

China sent off Admiral Zheng He to discover the world before Columbus. He sailed off with a huge armada of ships (as far as East Africa), reported back with some giraffes and such, and the emperor concluded that it wasn't worth it, and reverted to inward focus.

After the "century of humiliation" and being eclipsed by the west, the "lesson" is obvious now. That's different.