The West is at a crossroads that has come about because of naïvely thinking that China would eventually liberalize. Although few now believe that China has any intention of liberalizing, the erstwhile gullibility has put the West in a precarious position in which China wields undue influence. There is a difference between recognizing China’s intentions and taking meaningful action to stop them. In many cases, Western leaders have not fully grasped the CCP’s intentions. When they do, any effort to mitigate Chinese influence causes economic pain in the West. The West now needs to decide collectively whether to continue to maintain a trading relationship with China, or endure economic harm to preserve Western freedoms and values.