Saturday 27 December 2008
Proof that China Will No Longer be Bullied
I have stressed several times in this column this year that China will no longer be bullied; recent incidents have proved my point. When French President Nicolas Sarkozy disregarded Beijing’s warnings and met - in his capacity as head of the European Union - the Dalai Lama in Poland, Beijing cancelled the Sino-European summit and its Airbus orders.
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Proof that China Will No Longer be Bullied
Lau Nai-keung
26 December 2008
I have stressed several times in this column this year that China will no longer be bullied; recent incidents have proved my point. When French President Nicolas Sarkozy disregarded Beijing’s warnings and met - in his capacity as head of the European Union - the Dalai Lama in Poland, Beijing cancelled the Sino-European summit and its Airbus orders.
Poor Mr. Sarkozy has been left out in the cold, trying hard to explain away his frivolous decision. Closer to home, China has for the first time sent two coastal patrol frigates to the disputed Diaoyu Islands, to Japan’s annoyance. When Tokyo protested, Beijing simply said that China had the right to patrol its territories any time, but it still welcomed joint development with Japan.
Some western observers concluded that Beijing had shifted up a gear in its foreign policy and was getting tough. Their hidden message was that China would eventually become a threat to the western world, a constant fear that keeps coming to the surface from time to time.
The fact is that there is tremendous internal pressure for Beijing to take action to defend the country’s vital national interests. It is facing enough internal problems already, with almost daily protests. If it appears weak on territorial issues, it will have to face nationwide protests.
To most Chinese, Mr. Sarkozy is a slimy politician wanting to take advantage of China. He sided with the Tibetan separatist movement during the Olympic torch relay and threatened not to attend the opening ceremony. When this failed and the mood changed, he relented, with soothing comments about China.
Now, in the financial crisis, he has stepped up his charm, trying to woo Beijing into siding with the EU in the Group of 20 meeting to boost the international standing of the euro. China, with over 60 per cent of its US$20 trillion of foreign exchange reserves in US dollar assets, has an interest in upholding the greenback. On top of that, Beijing does not want to get involved in the contest between America and Europe. When Beijing made its position clear, Mr. Sarkozy tried to make a nuisance of himself by meeting the Dalai Lama. It backfired.
The Chinese have a long memory. And, when the time comes, they will return a blow. The Diaoyu Islands issue is a case in point. It has been outstanding for over three decades. To most Chinese, Beijing’s sovereignty over these islands is indisputable, but paramount leader Deng Xiaoping advocated putting aside territorial disputes, for joint development.
This concession, however, has been regarded as a sign of weakness on the Chinese side, and Tokyo has never ceased asserting its sovereignty over what it calls the Senkaku Islands. Fishermen from both the mainland and Taiwan have been constantly harassed in the vicinity.
The Chinese remember, and now that they have beefed up their navy, they will no longer stand for such belligerence. Sooner or later, Beijing will have to start patrolling its waters around the Diaoyus. The offer of joint development still stands, and Japan is welcome to take it up any time.
Moreover, Beijing is not hostile to Japan. It has just concluded a meeting with that nation and South Korea, and came up with concrete joint efforts to stabilise the East Asian economies.
By the same argument, Beijing is not hostile to France, either. The recent, gentle snub was a friendly reminder to France and the EU that China should be treated as an equal - with respect. If the Europeans sincerely want Chinese co-operation and assistance, they have to earn it.
Give a Chinese “face”, and he or she will reciprocate. For example, the EU ban on military exports to China should be lifted although, at the moment, Beijing has no need to buy a lot of advanced military hardware from Europe.
Lau Nai-keung is a member of the Basic Law Committee of the NPCSC and also a member of Commission on Strategic Development
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