Robert Chapman made some very fine points in response to our essay “China Complicates U.S. Foreign Policy” at:
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_john_car_
070409_china_complicates_u_.htm
Since I have lived in China and it is my “beat” just now I thought I would color in between his lines.
The opednews.com website did not allow this long reply. So thank you for visiting us here.
A few places where I thought we might add to Robert’s view (keyed to his own comments):
a. China has raised 400,000,000 people out of poverty;
Maybe. Poverty has declined in China but the people are paying another price. The communist leadership in China stays in power by staying on the backs of the people. Young communists students are routinely used to build houses and swimming pools and the like for the communist bosses.
b. The Chinese have begun major campaigns to liberalize in the lights of their culture;
In my experience, China is only “liberalizing” when under pressure from the U.N., the U.S. and Europe. Take for example some new rules on media: the Chinese themselves have said they are accepting more openness because of the impending Olympics inBeijing. They know they would be humiliated on the world stage if the western media climbs aroundChina without restrictions during the Olympics.
We saw the same process of “phoney reform” from Vietnam. Vietnam wanted to join the World Trade Organozation, they wanted Permanent Normal Trade relations from the U.S., and they wanted to bask in the glow of all important world leaders in Hanoi last November. They got a “trifected.” As soon as President Bush was back in the U.S., the communist government in Vietnam started a harsh crack-down on freedom loving people and ethnic minorities that continues to this day.
Vietnam: State Department Urged for More Aggressive Approach
and:
US to raise human rights when Vietnam president visits
and:
Vietnam’s Ugly Crackdown
and:
Human Rights Issues In Asia: Red Alert
As in Vietnam, the communist leadership in China stays in power by staying on the backs of the people. Young communists students are routinely used to build houses and swimming pools and the like for the communist bosses.
In China, we know that internet traffic and readership is monitored, and many sites in the west are not available. My own newspaper, The Washington Times, cannot be accessed from within China.
China has tens of thousands of people that read email and listen to phone conversations.
China currently has several reporters in jail for publishing pro democracy material.
All this is mirrored in communist Vietnam.
The good news that China has very few (living) separatists.
http://peace-and-freedom.blogspot.com/2007/04/chinas-answer-to-islamic-separatists.html
b. have begun major campaigns to liberalize in the lights of their culture;
In my experience, China is only “liberalizing” when under pressure from the U.N., the U.S. andEurope. Take for example some new rules on media: the Chinese themselves have said they are accepting more openness because of the impending Olympics inBeijing. They know they would be humiliated on the world stage if the western media climbs aroundChina without restrictions during the Olympics.
Even “Google” has been intimidated and controlled by China.
Google censors China criticism in U.S.
China is also one of the largest abusers of intellectual property rights. Books that would cost me over $100 in New York or London are available for maybe $6.00. That is because the book sale sends no money back to the author, publisher, editor, etc. American movies, music CDs, computer programs and everthing else are pirated routinely by the Chinese. It is a way of life and deeply a part of the culture. Paying top dollar for anything is the only real sin in China.
c. China only spends a small amount on national defense, maybe a sum as low as $46 billion;
The problem is NOBODY KNOWS what the Chinese spend but it IS WAY MORE THAN YOU THINK. U.S. intelligence experts just tally up what China buys every year for their military and it is more than $46 Billion.
Military Expenditure(Actual Excahge rate Base)
2005 China $ 65bil…Russia $55bil…Japan $43bil…US $430bil
2006 China $ 90bil…Russia N.A……Japan $42bil
2007 China $120bil…Russia N.A……Japan $43bil
A Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) study also comes to the conclusion that the military spending of the People’s Republic of China is higher than the official budget, but its estimate is lower than that of the RAND study. Of the major powers, the military spending of the People’s Republic of China surpasses only that of Japan in relative terms and Russia in absolute terms.
What is most troubling is that China’s defense budget goes up like 17% EVERY YEAR.
What is even more worrysome is that China is flush with cash and can buy just about whatever it wants. China’s foreign reserves, already the world’s largest, have risen past $1.2 trillion.
Figures released this week showed China’s trade surplus for the first three months of the year doubled from the same period of 2006, reaching $46 billion.
China just built one of the words finest seaports in Pakistan. Things like this are not in the militry budget but thay might well be.
http://johnib.wordpress.com/2007/04/04/china-opens-strategic-seaport-in-pakistan/
d. The Chinese are major donors to the impoverished countries in east africa (sic).
DONOR? Hardly: China never “gives” anything away. In fact, I greatly respect the Chinese as shrewd business people. They usually get the best end of the deal. China’s goal in Africa is to harness inexpensive labor with no strings attached (no medical care, no retirement, meager pay, horrible living conditions, etc.) and sucking resources out of Africa and into China.
When President Hu Jintao recently visited in Sudan, he violated the intent of the U.N and EU to isolate Sudan because of Drafur. President Hu never mentioned Darfur publicly (he’s building a refinery in Sudan among other projects).China finally sent a team to at least look at Darfur LAST WEEKEND.
http://johnib.wordpress.com/2007/04/09/chinese-delegation-visits-darfur/
also see:
http://johnib.wordpress.com/2007/03/17/china-russia-seek-to-block-un-report-on-darfur/
and:
http://www.nowpublic.com/china_s_world_
view_genocide_in_darfur_is_o_k_and_nuclear_iran_too
and:
http://peace-and-freedom.blogspot.com/2007/02/china-to-increase-imports-from-africa.html
Chinese President Hu Jintao presides over a China more aware than ever that without access to vast amounts of natural resources including petroleum, copper, zinc and other elements China’s booming economic dynamo could be slowed and even forced into disarray if not chaos.
Consequently President Hu was in Africa striking deals (almost every one for natural resources) in January and February. It was his third trip to Africa. He’s been to the U.S. once.
Eyes On China: Natural Resources Vacuumed Up; President Hu in Africa
Billions of dollars of Chinese investment, particularly in the oil sector, have provided crucial support to President Omar al-Bashir’s regime in Sudan, enabling it to join the ranks of oil exporters and improve decaying infrastructure.
I would like to see the Chinese expand their concept of civil liberties and further liberalize their society, too.
–That sounds like cocaine talking….China has no civil society, no NGOs, virtually no freedom of press, religion and speech. I am ashamed and disappointed that Robert is so poorly informed. I expected more of him.
I disagree with Mr. Carey’s apparent thesis that the US is somehow ordained for global leadership and that China’s accretion of power is a “complicating” factor for us.
–Our national policy on Human Rights and Democracy is to be a leader.
See:
http://www.nowpublic.com/report_to_congress_supporting_human_
rights_and_democracy_the_u_s_record_2006
The ordaining comes from the U.S. Congress, Robert, to the Executive Branch where the U.S. Department of State manages the account as we say……
we should engage them constructively and seek mutual solutions to the many problems besetting our respective countries.
–We do just that. In fact the Pacific Command Commander plays a major role in our relationship with China. Admiral Fox Fallon spent a great deal of his tenure in China or working ways to improve the relationship. Now Admiral Gary Roughead is working with China and just recently returned from a visit there.
The head of China’s Navy was in the U.S. last week….See:
http://www.nowpublic.com/china_s_top_admiral_
visits_u_s_issues_abound
And of course President Bush hosted President Hu Jintao at the White House last year, met him again at Hanoi in November at the APEC Summit and plans to go to China before the end of his term.
That’s engagement!
When I used the word “Complicates” for China vis a vis American foreign policy I was being restrained and kind. China has opposed every U.S. initiative in the United Nations on Iran, Darfur and Iraq. China only agreed to become actively involved in restraining North Korea after that renegade state demonstrated a nuclear blast.
Some of the brightest minds thinking about China in the United States believe we have to make many huge changes in our military and policy actions to face them. See:
http://johnib.wordpress.com/2007/04/12/us-military-buildup-urged-to-counter-china/
Finally, as I am writing this, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte is in Sudan to discuss Darfur.
http://johnib.wordpress.com/2007/04/12/negroponte-seeks-sudanese-action-on-darfur-peacekeeping/
