monitor
ELITE MEMBER
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2007
- Messages
- 8,570
- Reaction score
- 7
- Country
- Location
Global powers should ensure China
rise peacefully
Barrister Harun ur Rashid
There have always been rules governing the relationship between states but these rules could always be broken by the use of superior force. There has never been a world so chaotic and confused as is the current one from Beirut to Islamabad. The release of US diplomatic cables WikiLeaks has demonstrated how far and to what extent the US put pressure on developing countries to suit their interests.
On the other hand, China does not spread its political ideology in Asia. Its policy of non-interference in domestic affairs has put China on a good standing with Asian countries. China’s quest for stabilizing influence in the region is welcome.
China is not an expansionist like other global powers who sought increased territorial control or influence. Beyond Taiwan and its current national boundaries, the history of modern China does not suggest a desire for territorial expansion.
China has cut out a bigger and benign influence over the Asia-Pacific region. The balance of power in the area is changing in the sense that within decades the US may lose its lone supremacy in the region. After all, it is China’s neighbourhood.
This year John Mearsheimer, a professor from the University of Chicago, put it more forcefully. He said “China cannot rise peacefully” and that it is inevitable that “intense security competition” will arise between China and the US. This is because China, for security reasons, will want to be the dominant power in Asia, and the US would not like to be easily pushed out.
One of the most important foreign policy issues for Asian countries is the future of relations between the US and China.
For most Asian countries, the US is most important ally for security, and China their largest trading partner; any significant change to the relationship between the two must have implications for Asia’s security and economic prosperity.
Observers say stability in Asia can be maintained if China’s rise is built on a remarkable degree of economic integration with the US and its allies.
The relationship between Asian countries with China has come a long way in recent years. Nonetheless all countries continue to develop and support policies that contribute to China’s great ability to play a constructive and engaged role in the world.
This does not mean Asian countries should make any unnecessary concessions to China. But it does mean they should continue to engage in constructive and positive relationship building as a means of securing their interests.
There is a crucial role for government policy of Asian countries. If they are to do this effectively, there must also be continuing engagement at the highest levels of government. The relationship with China is such that personal engagement by heads of governments is vital to ensuring that economic and broader relationship continues to grow.
Furthermore, Asian countries are to build deeper and more effective relationships with China. In the first instance, this needs to occur between governments by engaging China in multilateral and regional institutions as well as at bilateral level. At the same time, there is an important role for business leaders, academics and other private sector organisations and individuals to contribute to constructive relationships through engagement with their counterparts in China.
Observers believe the leaders of the US and China can forge a constructive and peaceful future, and will be able to overcome the challenges that could arise when two world powers seek to maximise their influence in a region.
It is argued that if the US fails to accommodate China’s rising power within Asia, there is the possibility of “hostility” between the two powers. The US is the most important export market for Chinese industry, buying 18 per cent of all Chinese merchandise exports. This is in contrast with the negligible levels of trade between the US and the former Soviet Union.
Between the early 1970s and the late 80s, it is reported trade between the Soviet Union and the US represented 1 per cent of total trade for each power. As a result, there was no significant economic counterweight to strategic tensions during the Cold War.
China’s economic interests provide an incentive for the nation to remain on peaceful terms with major trading partners, even though one or more of them might be a rival power.
Analysts believe policymakers in the US must be careful that strongly held views about how China might conduct itself don’t become a self-fulfilling prophecy. In other words, if the West develops policy only on the basis that China is expected to be a threat in the future, China may be justified in responding accordingly. This is the wrong approach.
It is worth to be noted that China is engaging quite broadly with the world. An important example is in the area of education. Last year hundreds of thousands students from China studied in Western countries and the number of Chinese students participating in international education in Western nations continues to grow.
The bilateral relationship between the US and China is complicated and multi-faceted. The relationship touches on a wide range of areas, such as security, economic policy and bilateral and multilateral issues.
Notably, US President Barack Obama visited China late 2009. And British Prime Minister David Cameron visited Beijing in November 2010. Both were accompanied by very senior business delegations and emphasised trade and investment links.
The US and its close allies need to be thoughtful and creative in using soft power to encourage a future in which China can play a constructive role as a global power.
For China, the strategy is a blend of self-interest, soft power diplomacy and commercial proposition. One has to appreciate that a gradual seismic shift in power relations is taking place and China in the last 30 years has changed faster than any nation in history.
Australian National University professor of strategic studies Hugh White, in his recent Quarterly Essay said that China’s rapid growth will, if it lasts, “reshape the way the world works”.
The writer is a former Bangladesh Ambassador to the UN, Geneva.
rise peacefully
Barrister Harun ur Rashid
There have always been rules governing the relationship between states but these rules could always be broken by the use of superior force. There has never been a world so chaotic and confused as is the current one from Beirut to Islamabad. The release of US diplomatic cables WikiLeaks has demonstrated how far and to what extent the US put pressure on developing countries to suit their interests.
On the other hand, China does not spread its political ideology in Asia. Its policy of non-interference in domestic affairs has put China on a good standing with Asian countries. China’s quest for stabilizing influence in the region is welcome.
China is not an expansionist like other global powers who sought increased territorial control or influence. Beyond Taiwan and its current national boundaries, the history of modern China does not suggest a desire for territorial expansion.
China has cut out a bigger and benign influence over the Asia-Pacific region. The balance of power in the area is changing in the sense that within decades the US may lose its lone supremacy in the region. After all, it is China’s neighbourhood.
This year John Mearsheimer, a professor from the University of Chicago, put it more forcefully. He said “China cannot rise peacefully” and that it is inevitable that “intense security competition” will arise between China and the US. This is because China, for security reasons, will want to be the dominant power in Asia, and the US would not like to be easily pushed out.
One of the most important foreign policy issues for Asian countries is the future of relations between the US and China.
For most Asian countries, the US is most important ally for security, and China their largest trading partner; any significant change to the relationship between the two must have implications for Asia’s security and economic prosperity.
Observers say stability in Asia can be maintained if China’s rise is built on a remarkable degree of economic integration with the US and its allies.
The relationship between Asian countries with China has come a long way in recent years. Nonetheless all countries continue to develop and support policies that contribute to China’s great ability to play a constructive and engaged role in the world.
This does not mean Asian countries should make any unnecessary concessions to China. But it does mean they should continue to engage in constructive and positive relationship building as a means of securing their interests.
There is a crucial role for government policy of Asian countries. If they are to do this effectively, there must also be continuing engagement at the highest levels of government. The relationship with China is such that personal engagement by heads of governments is vital to ensuring that economic and broader relationship continues to grow.
Furthermore, Asian countries are to build deeper and more effective relationships with China. In the first instance, this needs to occur between governments by engaging China in multilateral and regional institutions as well as at bilateral level. At the same time, there is an important role for business leaders, academics and other private sector organisations and individuals to contribute to constructive relationships through engagement with their counterparts in China.
Observers believe the leaders of the US and China can forge a constructive and peaceful future, and will be able to overcome the challenges that could arise when two world powers seek to maximise their influence in a region.
It is argued that if the US fails to accommodate China’s rising power within Asia, there is the possibility of “hostility” between the two powers. The US is the most important export market for Chinese industry, buying 18 per cent of all Chinese merchandise exports. This is in contrast with the negligible levels of trade between the US and the former Soviet Union.
Between the early 1970s and the late 80s, it is reported trade between the Soviet Union and the US represented 1 per cent of total trade for each power. As a result, there was no significant economic counterweight to strategic tensions during the Cold War.
China’s economic interests provide an incentive for the nation to remain on peaceful terms with major trading partners, even though one or more of them might be a rival power.
Analysts believe policymakers in the US must be careful that strongly held views about how China might conduct itself don’t become a self-fulfilling prophecy. In other words, if the West develops policy only on the basis that China is expected to be a threat in the future, China may be justified in responding accordingly. This is the wrong approach.
It is worth to be noted that China is engaging quite broadly with the world. An important example is in the area of education. Last year hundreds of thousands students from China studied in Western countries and the number of Chinese students participating in international education in Western nations continues to grow.
The bilateral relationship between the US and China is complicated and multi-faceted. The relationship touches on a wide range of areas, such as security, economic policy and bilateral and multilateral issues.
Notably, US President Barack Obama visited China late 2009. And British Prime Minister David Cameron visited Beijing in November 2010. Both were accompanied by very senior business delegations and emphasised trade and investment links.
The US and its close allies need to be thoughtful and creative in using soft power to encourage a future in which China can play a constructive role as a global power.
For China, the strategy is a blend of self-interest, soft power diplomacy and commercial proposition. One has to appreciate that a gradual seismic shift in power relations is taking place and China in the last 30 years has changed faster than any nation in history.
Australian National University professor of strategic studies Hugh White, in his recent Quarterly Essay said that China’s rapid growth will, if it lasts, “reshape the way the world works”.
The writer is a former Bangladesh Ambassador to the UN, Geneva.
Last edited:
