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Lessons on dealing with China
By Cao Changqing 曹長青
Monday, Aug 09, 2010, Page 8
The US and China are once again clashing over
sovereignty-related issues in the South China Sea. US Secretary of State Hillary
Rodham Clinton recently made it clear during an ASEAN meeting that the
maintenance of stability and security in the South China Sea are both in the US’
national interest. China’s foreign minister later issued a rare strong
condemnation of Clinton’s comments. Although this is an issue between the US and
China, it is a good lesson for Taiwan.
First, no matter how much good will the US government shows China, or even if it
were to go out of its way to please China, the totalitarian government in
Beijing will continue its international expansion to reflect its growing
economic and military strength while ignoring international conventions.
After coming to power, US President Barack Obama has made every effort to
befriend China. In particular, he did not once mention the phrase “human rights”
in his speeches during his first official visit to China.
In addition, the joint US-China declaration for the first time stated that the
US “respects China’s sovereignty and the integrity of [China’s] territory.”
Following public criticism, the US said this was a reference to Tibet, not
Taiwan and the South China Sea, but the statement gave Beijing room for
interpretation.
Daniel Blumenthal, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute for
Public Policy Research, recently said in an article that Obama’s China-leaning
policies are seen by Beijing as a sign of weakness, and that this has resulted
in China’s continued expansion.
Taiwan’s China policy is in practice very close to an appeasement and concession
policy. However, judging from the recent tension between the US and China,
regardless of how much good will Washington shows Beijing, China’s totalitarian
system dictates that it will continue its expansion and not give up its
ambitions to take over Taiwan by military force.
Second, the US will not stand idly by and watch China’s military expansion. The
current dispute is focused on sovereignty in the South China Sea, an area 100
times larger than Taiwan. Not only is the area thought to be rich in oil
deposits and fish, it is also of strategic importance to sea traffic, with one
third of the world’s ships traveling through the area.
Five countries — China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Taiwan — claim
sovereignty over parts of this area. Since the US is paying close attention to
the region, the issue includes six parties.
In the early 1990s, the parties signed a declaration stressing that they should
put issues of sovereignty aside and focus on seeking common development, but in
fact each country has occupied various islands and are pursuing independent
development.
Obama’s compromises have given China the wrong impression, and when US Deputy
Secretary of State James Steinberg and the Senior Director for Asian Affairs of
the National Security Council Jeff Bader visited China in March, China said for
the first time that the South China Sea is a “core interest” that is crucial to
its territorial integrity.
US experts say this is giving the South China Sea the same status as Tibet and
Taiwan.
The US is on its guard against China’s expansion policy. The US secretary of
defense, deputy secretary of state and many other US officials have stressed the
need to maintain stability and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, and
Clinton has unambiguously declared that this is an issue of national interest to
the US.
The recently concluded US-South Korean joint military exercise was meant to be a
show of power and a deterrent to China’s expansion. If the US takes action over
the unpopulated South China Sea, it will not sit idly by if China takes military
action against Taiwan.
Third, China should be dealt with multilaterally rather than unilaterally. A
majority of countries at the recent ASEAN meeting proposed multilateral
negotiations in disapproval of the unilateral negotiations suggested by China,
since they were concerned that the difference in economic and military size
would make success in unilateral negotiations impossible for small countries.
Multilateral negotiations would be tantamount to involving the US, thus raising
the talks to a multilateral international level. Beijing does not want, and even
fears, such a situation.
The Wall Street Journal stated in its editorial on July 28 that: “Only US
involvement can give ASEAN enough confidence to insist that Beijing submit to
international law.”
ASEAN countries understand that they must use a multilateral approach to counter
China’s unilateral proposition. However, Taiwan’s government is keen on dealing
with China unilaterally.
Not only did it signed the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, President
Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) even vowed that he will “never ask the US to defend Taiwan.”
ASEAN countries are competing to cooperate with the US in order to counter
China’s expansion and pressure. However, Taiwan’s government is moving in the
opposite direction by distancing itself from the US and leaning toward China.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Secretary-General King Pu-tsung (金溥聰) recently
defended Ma, saying the president is not selling out Taiwan. I would like to
hear him explain these irregular actions by the government.
Cao Changqing is a freelance writer based in the US.
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