|
China scoffs at US’ ‘smart power’
By Emerson Chang 張子揚
Wednesday, Aug 11, 2010, Page 8
Recent friction between China and the US has caused a lot of
concern for the future of Sino-US relations among observers. The question is
whether US President Barack Obama administration’s China policies really are
becoming tougher as some observers say.
Some think the US has rebounded from the financial crisis and reduced its
reliance on China, while at the same time it has gotten fed up with Beijing’s
military and strategic expansion, and is therefore actively trying to come up
with a plan to contain China. Others think containment is incompatible with
globalization and is a misinterpretation of US policy.
The Obama administration of has not changed its China policies, and it continues
to apply the carrot and the stick through its “smart power” diplomacy because it
wants to find a way to perpetuate its position as the leader, even if it is
unable to cooperate or reach compromises with China on major global issues.
Joseph Nye, the Harvard professor who coined the term smart power, says the
concept is a combination of hard and soft power, and the crucial point is to
combine the two in a way that they benefit both parties rather than create
divisions between them. After his inauguration, Obama has relied on smart power
diplomacy in a forceful attempt to remedy the damage to US soft power (its
attraction) caused by his predecessor George W. Bush’s reliance on hard power
(the ability to threaten and entice). This is why Obama has stressed listening,
negotiation and contact as a way to mend the US’ international image and foreign
relations.
US Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton has made four week-long visits to
Asia since her appointment, a clear indication that the US intends to return
focus to the region. The US has been quite successful in this endeavor, as is
reflected by the fact that Clinton’s statement that the US is opposed to any
country backing up any sovereignty claim with military force or the threat of
military force won the support of 12 countries at the recent ASEAN Regional
Forum in Hanoi.
Although Clinton never named a potential adversary, Chinese Foreign Minister
Yang Jiechi (楊潔篪) picked up on the challenge and said Clinton’s speech was in
fact an attack on China, and he publicly refuted the US’ “biased position.” On
forums at the Xinhua news agency’s Web site, the word “smart” in “smart power”
had been replaced by “clever and deceitful,” and users remained skeptical about
Obama’s speech in Tokyo where he stressed that the US is not trying to contain
China, and that China’s rise is helpful to international security and
prosperity.
China sees the US’ smart power diplomacy as “clever and deceitful” diplomacy
because it feels it is an empty phrase. In addition, it also feels the US needs
Beijing to buy up US bonds to be able to handle the financial crisis, while
China’s performance has been extraordinary. This is why China is merciless in
its response to Clinton’s statement. On the one hand, it will not compromise
when it comes to China’s core interests, and on the other hand, it will not
lightly accept international responsibility.
This is also the reason why several of Obama’s attempts to use smart power have
been rejected by China. Examples include: The joint declaration issued by Obama
and Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) does not match the conclusion of the
Copenhagen climate conference; when Obama wanted to follow up on the sale of
arms to Taiwan by sending US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates on a good will
tour to China, the visit was rejected; when the US avoided directly condemning
North Korea and instead held a joint military exercise with South Korea, Beijing
protested and said the exercise threatened China’s national security; and when
the US praised the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) and said it
would facilitate regional peace, stability and prosperity, China stressed the
importance of a US review of its arms sales to Taiwan.
These examples show clearly that Hu has shifted from late Chinese leader Deng
Xiaoping’s (鄧小平) more low key foreign policy, toward the more assertive
diplomacy of his predecessor Jiang Zemin (江澤民). China is now responding in a
tough way to Obama’s smart foreign policy, making the US appear weak and Obama
inept, so that China finally can take center stage on the international arena.
However, Beijing’s high profile highlights the fact that China is no different
from any other country that has risen to international prominence. They all bide
their time while creating space for themselves before they slowly begin to
challenge the strong powers of their time and finally create a dominant position
for themselves.
As a consequence of China’s disregard for Obama’s smart power diplomacy, there
is now reason to talk of a China threat, and the US can claim both legitimacy
and necessity when continuing its strategic deployments in the East Asian region
in the post-cold war era.
Emerson Chang is director of the Department of International
Studies at Nanhua University.
|
