US-China Relations - 184. page

Xinhua carried an article from The Global Times entitled “The U.S. is Struggling under Globalization; the View of a ‘Declining US’ is on the Rise.” The article starts with the following remarks: “2007 marks the year of the U.S.’ decline.” “The U.S. is following in the footsteps of the former Roman Empire.”

The article cites the following as sufficient proof that the U.S. is going the way of unavoidable decline: Domestically, the U.S. is unable to cope with the domestic sub-prime crisis and the depressed economy. Internationally, the U.S. is unable to defeat Bin Laden and the Al Qaeda. Politically, the U.S. has no solution for Iran’s defiance. Economically, the U.S. is unable to control the price of oil. On the military front, Iraq and Afghanistan are a big mess.

The article also cites articles from the Economist, Financial Times, Der Spiegel, and Focus magazine to support these views. Finally, the article quotes comments by Jin Canrong, a professor at the School of International Studies and School of Public Administration of Renmin University. Jin said that the U.S.’ inability to adjust in the globalization environment has weakened its global influence. He continued, “The U.S. has begun to adjust its policies, but not its self-centered mentality. Any real fundamental change will require time and many lessons.”

Source: Xinhua, January 18, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2008-01/18/content_7447982.htm

On May 5, 2007, Xinhua, the Chinese Communist official news agency, issued a statement accusing Voice of America of maliciously distorting facts about Xinhua’s September 10, 2006 regulation "Measures for Administering the Release of News and Information in China by Foreign News Agencies." In an article published on May 1, 2007 Voice of America reported on this regulation and commented, according to Xinhua, that this regulation "restricts the development of foreign media."

China General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantines (AQSIQ) issued a notice on June 7, 2007, stating that its inspectors at the ports of Ningbo and Shenzhen found bacteria and sulfur dioxide in certain health supplements and raisins exported by U.S. companies. This follows the February 2007 ban on ConAgro’s peanut butter.

The Global Times published an article by Chen Yugang, an Assistant Professor at the School of International Relations and Public Affairs at Fudan University, titled: “The American Way Is Driven by the U.S.’ Own Interests.” The article criticizes the U.S. for using the “American Way” to protect its own interests and to establish policies for other countries to follow. It lists examples, including the following: Americans live in big houses and drive big size vehicles despite the global warming crisis. The U.S. condemns the human rights record of other countries but it refuses to be part of the International Criminal Court and tortures its detainees. The U.S. pulled out of the anti-ballistic missile treaty. The U.S. failed to keep its promise not to let the NATO expand its ranks into Eastern Europe. Finally, after the U.S. relocated its energy intensive industries elsewhere, it blamed another country for being number one in carbon emissions. The article said that the confidence that the American people have in themselves as being the “representatives of God to save the world” or “the U.S. is the best” is an attitude of rudeness that can’t be trusted. It concluded that the “American Way” is a way that fits best with the U.S.’ own interests and is not the only established standard that works.

Source: Xinhua, January 17, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2008-01/17/content_7434835.htm

On June 10, 2007, a Boston based 501 (c)(3) human rights organization, the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG), published a report about how the Chinese government uses Chinese student associations to infiltrate the host countries. The Chinese regime not only must approve these associations; it also at least partly funds them and places Chinese officials on their advisory boards. In the United States, there are at least 109 such associations.

A Beijing government think tank undertook a priority research project in 2004 and has published a three-part outline of its research entitled, "Research on New Characteristics and Circumstances of Western Hostile Forces Westernizing and Dividing China." The research paper states that the anti-China forces inside the Bush Administration are rising due to the unity between U.S. Defense Department and the blue team of extreme conservatives. The paper recommends that China continue to "engage and cooperate" with the United States for the sake of China’s economic development and technological advancement, but should "increase communications with Japan, Russia, France, Germany, Australia, Canada, India, Brazil," and neighboring countries. The paper suggests that China can use the United Nations as a means to "contain" the United States.

Amidst allegations that China controls Chinese associations of commerce and Chinese students’ organizations in the United States, Chinese diplomats in the United States attended a celebration of the 27th anniversary of the Chinese American Association of Commerce in San Francisco.

On January 5, 2008, Xinhua published an article titled “Western Democracy Is Failing Globally” by Fang Ning, deputy director of the Politics Institute of the National Academy of Social Sciences. In the article the author used Russia, Latin American countries, and South Korea as examples to support his point. Fang concluded that protecting rights and centralizing power are essential for developing a countries’ political structure and that western democracy is not a universal value. The article hinted that China’s communist system is the model for other countries to follow. The website also listed four other related articles under the title to reinforce Fang’s statement from various angles.

Source: Xinhuanet, January 5, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2008-01/05/content_7366065.htm