US-China Relations - 165. page

The International Herald Leader published an article two weeks ago discussing the recent US Arms sale to Taiwan. The article suggests that the US does not believe China will take a stronger stand this time, but the author disagrees. The article quoted Chinese Navy major general Yang Yi, sayng that he believes China will never be a world power if the US is not punished this time. Meng Xiangqing, professor from the Institute for National Strategic Studies at National Defense University, thinks it is indeed different this time because China threatened sanctions for the first time. The professor also suggested, “Ten years later, when fundamental Chinese military power catches up to the States level, that will be the time for a showdown.”

Source: International Herald Leader, February 4, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/herald/2010-02/04/content_12928585.htm

On January 20, 2010, Xinhua reprinted an opinion article from China Business Times, which suggested that China economists should prevent the conspiracy of imposing more responsibilities on China while putting a stop to those who denigrate China’s economy. 

Six Chinese economists led by World Bank vice president Lin Yifu presented the “Chinese Economic Forum,” held at the NYSE on January 7, 2010. The author of the article saw the forum as a good opportunity to propagandize China. For example, Lin Yifu said that stopping the purchase of Chinese goods would hurt American consumers. Lin also said that China will not appreciate the yuan in the near future since the appreciation is like a “Pandora’s box”; if the yuan is appreciated by 10%, the outside world will demand more.

Source: Chinese Business Times, February 20, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2010-01/20/content_12840923.htm

International Finance News of the People’s Daily reports that a prominent professor of economics forecasts continued trade conflicts between China and the United States. “In 2010, Sino-US trade conflicts will become more frequent and China’s export environment will be challenging.” “Compared to 2009, the Sino-US trade frictions are not likely to improve. First, in the post-crisis era the U.S. domestic economy is still relatively difficult and needs to look for external factors to balance it. The U.S. Government and Congress will take advantage of the factor of the Sino-US trade imbalance. Second, the recent conflicts between the two countries are also constantly escalating, which will cause the trade environment between the two countries to deteriorate in the near future.”

Source: People’s Daily, February 8, 2010
http://world.people.com.cn/GB/14549/10945162.html

According to Xinhua, a director from the China Human Rights Society, a State run organization, said that the United States is solidifying its Internet hegemony under the pretext of Internet freedom. “Back then, to defend her husband’s reputation, Hillary openly demanded to restrict the Internet’s dissemination of information. Now, in order to offer reciprocation to their own political sponsors, she is publicly calling for other countries to relax control of the Internet. Is freedom of speech and freedom of the press the ‘weapon of mass destruction’ where one can see the head but not the tail?” “What is needed in the area of the Internet is dialogue, rather than blaming each other, and cooperation in technology, rather than attacking each other.”

Source: Xinhua, February 5, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2010-02/05/content_12940308.htm

China’s experts on US-China relations believe the western media are exaggerating recent conflicts between China and the United States. “The reported ‘new cold war’ between China and the U.S. is clearly an exaggeration.”

On February 6, the Japanese Sankei Shimbun outlined five key issues for this round of China-US conflicts: China hacking Google, arms sales to Taiwan, Obama meeting the Dalai Lama, RMB appreciation, and Iran’s nuclear development, based on which Sankei Shimbun concluded that the foundation for a booming China-US relationship has been eradicated.

Source: Xinhua, February 8, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2010-02/08/content_12951078.htm

On February 1, 2010, www.huanqiu.com (Global Times) published an article on the interview of Song Xiaojun, a CCTV contracted military commentator, regarding the recent U.S. arms sale to Taiwan.

Song said that the United States sold the arms to Taiwan based on a domestic law, namely the “Taiwan Relations Act” and for its own domestic political interests, which continuously hurt China’s core interests. As for the characteristics of the weapons, Song explained that they were just the same as what the Bush administration had arranged.

“Mr. Song Xiaojun particularly pointed out that the U.S. arms sales to Taiwan should remind us that China must strengthen its power to maintain its dignity and the determination to use the power. We should further enhance our capabilities so as to protect our core interests.”

Source: www.huanqiu.com, February 1, 2010
http://mil.huanqiu.com/Taiwan/2010-01/705245.html

Jin Chanrong, Vice Dean of the School of International Relations of the People’s University of China, told Global Times, “An unusually tough attitude from China will send the U.S. a clear message of the bottom line. The powers of China and the U.S. are close to a balance. Different from the past, it’s no longer viable for the United States to use the old ways to deal with China.” Jin added, “It’s possible that China may reduce cooperation on certain international issues as a protest.”

“The West blames the current gridlock in the Sino-U.S. relationship on China’s over-confidence. However, it’s impossible for China to give in on the Taiwan arms sale and the U.S. President’s meeting with the Dalai Lama, issues that matter for its sovereignty, and core interests. If our leaders were to meet with a U.S. separatist and sell arms to a U.S. state that claims independence, the U.S. would have an even stronger reaction.”

Source: Global Times, February 4, 2010
http://world.huanqiu.com/roll/2010-02/709404.html

Xinhua recently published a series of discussions by China scholars, the armed forces, and think tanks on international issues. Qiao Liang, an Admiral, a professor at the Air Force Command College, and Vice Secretary General of the government think tank National Security Policy Reseach Commission, reportedly talked about the U.S. containment of China.

“As the U.S. is declining and its power is weakening, power vacuums have emgerged in the international arena. The U.S. wants us to fill some of the vacuums, but not all. In places where the Americans do not want us to fill the power vacuum, they will create some powers to fill it. I call it ‘containment by agent’. … In issues like the South China Sea and the Sino-Indian border, the Americans roped in India and the Southeast Asian countries to produce a possibility of ‘containment by agent.’ As Americans have engaged in proxy wars in the past, I expect that the U.S. will use agents to contain China.

Source: Xinhua, February 2, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2010-02/02/content_12920311.htm