US-China Relations - 36. page

China’s official media have recently publicized and commemorated the death of People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) pilot Wang Wei, who was killed 20 years ago in a collision between the United States Navy EP-3E ARIES II signals intelligence aircraft and a PLAN J-8II interceptor fighter jet. Against the backdrop of the tense confrontation between the two countries, the move is seen as a tactic to rally anti-American sentiment.

On April 1, 2001, the EP-3 was operating about 70 miles (110 km) away from the PRC island province of Hainan, and about 100 miles (160 km) away from the Chinese military installation in the Paracel Islands, when it was intercepted by two J-8 fighters. A collision between the EP-3 and one of the J-8s caused the PRC pilot to go missing (later presumed dead), and the EP-3 was forced to make an emergency landing on Hainan. The J-8 pilot, Lt. Cdr. Wang Wei, was posthumously honored in China as a “Guardian of Territorial Airspace and Waters.” His widow received a personal letter of condolence from President George W. Bush.

An official account on WeChat posted an article titled “April 1, the Most Complicated Day for Chinese People.” The article listed a number of incidents that occurred on April 1, the first of which was Wang Wei’s death in service. The article extrapolated from the incident and emphasized that the event has prodded Chinese to work harder and prepare for a comeback. Twenty years later, China is no longer the same China. It also criticized the United States for acting unilaterally, imposing sanctions at will, and for pointing and poking fingers. “The world is scared when the U.S. gets mad.”

On March 31, the Communist Party’s mouthpiece China Global Television Network (CGTN) and Xinhua News Agency also covered the news in high profile. The reports emphasized that Wang was killed because the U.S. military violated China’s territorial airspace. In addition, news media with a military background such as PLA Daily, 81.cn, have also carried articles in memory of Wang.

With no apparent easing of tension between China and the United States, Chinese netizens have paid considerable attention to this incident. Many have left comments criticizing the U.S. for being hegemonic and using its fists to force people into compliance. Some netizens also said, “Today’s China is no longer the China of 20 years ago that would only take orders from the United States,” and “China’s military strength has gradually caught up with that of the United States.”

Source: Central News Agency, April 1, 2021
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202104010137.aspx

On July 23, 2016, Jin Canrong, Professor and Associate Dean at the School of International Studies of Renmin University and a senior fellow at the Institute of American Studies (IAS) at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), gave a two day talk at the Southern Club Hotel in Guangzhou. Jin is a well-known expert in China on the U.S.-China relationship. He is famous for his speech made in 2018 when defining the U.S.-China relationship as “Win-win, which, in China, means China wins twice.”

During the two-day conference, Jin touched on many issues including the South China Sea, Taiwan, and the U.S.-China political trend. The original text has over 105,000 words. Even though the talk was given four years ago, it is shocking to see that, one by one, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has actually carried out these U.S. strategies that he had talked about.

Below is a partial summary of his talk on the U.S.-China relationship and on strategies.

China’s goal is to win global hegemony and put the U.S. under China’s control

A country will grow through three stages to become a superpower: ensure its own survival, sustain growth, and gain respect. For China and the US, however, there is a fourth stage which is to win global hegemony. In China, Mao Zedong solved the survival issue. Deng Xiaoping enabled China to grow. Xi Jinping is trying to gain respect in the world. Once China gains equal power with the U.S., it will be the CCP’s next generation leader’s responsibility to put the U.S. under China’s control.

China can compete with the U.S. because it has powerful resources, a long history, and an industrial capability. Unlike the former leaders in China, Xi Jinping has the courage to define China as a global power. China’s rising power has disrupted the world’s order. Xi’s global strategy includes the Belt and Road Initiative and the Asia-Pacific Free Trade Zone. The goal of the Belt and Road Initiative is to integrate the two industry bases – China and Germany – together, and then there is nothing left for the U.S. This has posed a fundamental challenge to the U.S. China has also set up the New Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, established the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone, and built islands in the South China Sea.

China has been Stealing Technology from the U.S.

China and the U.S. are closely tied economically, but they treat each other as their number one enemy when it comes to military power. Americans think that we use the Internet to steal technology from them. This may also be true. We have a large industrial power, but we lag behind in technology. … In the past 30 years, we have been importing technology. Germany helped us the most. Germany accounts for 46 percent of China’s technology imports. The U.S. has the best technology in the world, but they won’t sell it to us. If you don’t sell, we won’t be shy either. There was no Internet before, but now we have the Internet. Of course, we use it. The U.S. believes that China is the country that steals everything over the Internet, even the personal files of its federal employees. Of course, technology is the most important. They think that many key technologies like our J-20 and Dongfeng 41 were stolen from them.

There are eight conflicts that China has with the U.S.
1. China is challenging the U.S. in the regional leadership position in the Asia Pacific region;
2. China’s rising military power poses a threat;
3. China is becoming more competitive in space, the Internet, electronics and other areas;                                                                                   4. China is upgrading its industrial capability and internationalizing its renminbi;
5. China declared the goal of starting ocean development and becoming a superpower in the ocean;
6. China’s inner circle has started to have different opinions and it is becoming harder to reach consensus on various policies;
7. China’s political model is a challenge to the U.S.;
8. The U.S. is getting hard to deal with and unpredictable.

China’s Long-Term Strategies in Dealing with the U.S.

China is trying different ways to deal with the U.S. For example, it is creating conditions for the U.S. to make mistakes; keeping the U.S. so occupied to the point that it wants to give up fighting China; and building a close relationship with the U.S. so it can’t fight back.

So what are China’s U.S. strategies?

1. Maintain our growth. As we continue to grow, we will reach a point where the U.S. must accept us.

2. Actively expand ourselves without directly confronting the U.S. For example, when the U.S. was in the war in Syria and busy dealing with the Ukraine, we started to build islands in the South China Sea. In June 2015, after the U.S. found out that we were building the islands, we immediately told them that we would stop the project. The real reason that we stopped was because it was the hurricane season and was too dangerous for the project to continue. Also, we needed the time to solve a technical issue of turning the sand from the sea into the land, but we kept the U.S. happy for a few months.

3. Expand cooperation with the U.S. When we increase collaboration with the U.S., it will make the competing/confronting areas smaller in the total scale of things and will make it easier to for us to resolve issues.

4. Strategically take on more international responsibilities. We have taken on more international roles than before and also we are willing to cooperate with the U.S. on those things – this is actually a tactic.

Another strategy is called “Go Deep into the U.S.” Our goal is to make business investments in every congressional district, so that we can hold a thousand or several thousands of votes in each congressional district. This will affect the representative’s position. In fact, we can control U.S. House of Representatives. The U.S. has 312 million people and 435 in the House of Representatives. The average congressional electoral district has a population of 750,000. If the voting rate is only 30 percent, about 200,000 people will vote and determine a Congress person. Generally, in a tight race, the difference between two candidates is not that big. I estimate that a close race will be determined by 10,000 or a few thousand votes. So if you have a few thousand votes in your hand, you are calling the shots. If we do well, we can buy (invest in) the U.S. and turn the U.S. Congress into the second (CCP-controlled) People’s Congress Standing Committee.

Of course, we can also have other evil tricks, such as make the world more chaotic, so the U.S. had to deal with more than one enemy. Our strategic goal is to ensure there are four enemies for the U.S. The terrorists are one, Russia can be one, and we need to get more. Brazil is possible and China put a lot of effort into preparing it, but it has not seemed to work out. Another trick is we can have the U.S. trapped in debt crisis.

Source: Jin Can Rong Fan.com, August 29, 2016
http://www.jcrfans.com/html/2016-08-29-1024.html

Xinhua recently reported, based on various U.S. media sources, that the United States Navy is considering rebuilding the Naval First Fleet, in order to counter China’s growing maritime power. General Philip Davidson, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, said that General Aquilino, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, is studying the pros and cons of rebuilding the U.S. First Fleet. In November last year, Kenneth Braithwaite, then U.S. Secretary of the Navy, stated at a Senate hearing that he would rebuild the First Fleet and deploy it to the Indo-Pacific region. Currently the Seventh Fleet, headquartered in Japan, is largest frontline fleet of the U.S. and is the only one stationed in the Asia-Pacific region. The First Fleet was founded in 1947 and discontinued in 1973. American military experts expressed the belief that, if the First Fleet is rebuilt, Singapore or Australia would both be good choices for its home base. The Spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Defense commented that the U.S. is once again playing the old game of establishing a fake enemy in order to get more funding. China firmly opposes this Cold War mentality. He also called for US-China military cooperation and proper management of differences.

Source: Xinhua, March 16, 2021
http://www.xinhuanet.com/mil/2021-03/16/c_1211069110.htm

On March 20, 2021, Xinhua reported an article from Anchorage, Alaska with the title, “China Has a Red Line that Cannot Be Touched.” The red line is the ruling position of the Communist Party of China.

Xinhua reported that from March 18 to 19, China and the United States held a high-level strategic dialogue in Anchorage, Alaska. “The two sides conducted candid, in-depth, long-term and constructive communications on their respective domestic and foreign policies, Sino-US relations and major international and regional issues of common concern.”

“The Chinese side emphasized that the ruling position of the Communist Party of China is the choice of history and the choice of the people. China’s development is inseparable from the leadership of the Communist Party of China. This represents the high degree of consensus of the Chinese people and reflects the common understanding of the international community. The socialist system with Chinese characteristics is the system most in line with China’s national conditions and the “code” for China’s development. It has been proven that socialism with Chinese characteristics is a correct path, and we will continue to walk along this broad road.”

“The ruling position of the Communist Party of China and the security of the system must not be compromised. It is an untouchable red line. The leadership role of the Communist Party of China and the core position of the Party’s leader are based on past arduous practice, and have received the heartfelt support of 1.4 billion Chinese people. This collective will is as firm as a rock and will not waver.”

Source: Xinhua, March 20, 2021

http://www.xinhuanet.com/world/2021-03/20/c_1127235796.htm

On March 18, People’s Daily, the mouthpiece newspaper of Chinese Communist Party, published an editorial titled, “Advice to the U.S. to put away the tricks of political intimidation.” The editorial was a counterattack against the State Department’s sanctions of 24 Chinese and Hong Kong officials one week after China’s ceremonial legislature approved a plan to reduce the number of Hong Kong lawmakers elected by the territory’s voters.

The article starts, “On March 17, the U.S. State Department issued a so-called statement denigrating the adoption of the relevant decision by China’s National People’s Congress to improve the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and threatening to impose financial sanctions on Chinese personnel. The U.S.’s bullying and interventionist behavior on issues related to Hong Kong is a serious violation of international law and basic norms of international relations. It represents a serious interference in China’s internal affairs and a full exposure of its sinister intentions to disrupt Hong Kong and obstruct China’s stability and development, which is disgraceful.”

The article continues, “The U.S. side is trying to resort to political intimidation by wielding the baton of sanctions, but this nasty behavior cannot stop the general trend of Hong Kong to move from chaos to order. In recent years, under the guise of “human rights,” “democracy,” and “freedom,” the U.S. side has been wielding the baton of sanctions and sparing no effort to back up anti-China and anti-Hong Kong forces. It is a vain attempt to create chaos in Hong Kong and undermine its prosperity and stability, but the facts prove that the so-called declaration of sanctions is just a piece of scrap paper. Since China enacted and implemented the Hong Kong national security law, the law and order in Hong Kong have been maintained, the human rights of Hong Kong residents have been effectively protected, the international community has become more optimistic about the prospects of Hong Kong’s prosperous and stable development, and the confidence of foreign investors in Hong Kong has increased.”

“Hong Kong is China’s Hong Kong, and how the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is designed and improved is purely China’s internal affair and no country has the right to say anything or interfere with it. Over the past few days, nearly 100 countries have reiterated their support for China’s implementation of ‘one country, two systems’ in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region at the UN Human Rights Council, stressing that non-interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states is an important principle of the UN Charter and a basic norm of international relations, and that one should effectively respect China’s sovereignty and stop interfering in China’s internal affairs, including those of Hong Kong. This shows that the Chinese government’s position on Hong Kong-related issues is widely understood and supported by the international community.”

The article ends, “China’s determination to implement the ‘one country, two systems’ policy fully and accurately is unwavering, as is its opposition to any outside interference in Hong Kong’s affairs and China’s internal affairs. Any interference or slander will not shake China’s strong will to safeguard the national sovereignty, security, interest, prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, nor will it stop the firm pace of Hong Kong’s transition from chaos to order and China’s development and growth. In one sentence, the U.S. should put away its tricks of political intimidation as soon as possible.”

Source: People’s Daily, March 18, 2021
http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2021-03/18/nw.D110000renmrb_20210318_2-03.htm

Guam and Saipan, the largest islands in the Northern Mariana Islands, are both well-known destinations for Chinese tourists. However, in recent years, China’s malicious acts have affected both U.S. territories.

Guam, only about 1,500 miles from Japan, is home to roughly 7,000 U.S. military personnel, including a U.S. Navy attack submarine squadron, a ship repair facility, and a major U.S. Air Force base. More than once, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has rehearsed attacks on Guam. This is why the Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, Adm. Phil Davidson, has recently urged very strongly that the Senate approve the installation of the latest generation of the Aegis Ashore land-based anti-missile defense system in Guam to counter the Chinese missile threat.

Alexander B. Gray is a Senior Fellow in National Security Affairs at the American Foreign Policy Council. From 2018 to 2021, he served on the staff of the National Security Council, including as Director for Oceania & Indo-Pacific Security. He said, “I think with what the Chinese know about Guam, if they could, they would use the same thing they did with the Northern Mariana Islands on Guam which is to undermine the United States from within the U.S. overseas territories. If they could, that would include politically corrupt activities, malicious economic practices, and propaganda infiltration. So I would say that Guam itself is not only a military target. The U.S. must also think about how to protect the territory from infiltration by spies.”

The U.S. territories in the Pacific include Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), and American Samoa. In the Caribbean are Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). Additionally, the U.S. administers nine possessions in the Pacific and one disputed possession in the Caribbean (Navassa Island).

Gray cited the infamous scandal that broke on Saipan in 2018. That involved the Chinese-owned company Imperial Pacific International Holdings Ltd. committing alleged bribery and hiring illegal Chinese laborers to build a casino.

Bloomberg reported in 2018 that Saipan has become the most China-like U.S. territory. The island has become a mecca for Chinese money laundering due to the relaxation of restrictions on gaming investments due to fiscal issues. 2017 saw a Chinese illegal worker killed, protests over unpaid wages, and the FBI’s investigation.

“The CNMI, for instance, has been inundated by the “birth tourism” phenomenon emanating from China and encouraged by a parole visa program initiated under the Obama administration. Birth tourism has overwhelmed the CNMI’s medical capacity, and, in recent years, foreign births have exceeded native ones there. At the same, four of China’s largest construction firms and a major casino operator were found by U.S. authorities to be persistently paying local workers below the minimum wage.”

Gray published an article at Real Clear Defense, pointing out that “the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of all U.S. territories and possessions totals over 1.3 million square miles, with the U.S. possessions in the Pacific totaling over 750,000 square miles by themselves.” “China’s global approach to strategic competition has shown no signs of respecting U.S. territories or possessions, however. Indeed, given the relative neglect U.S. territories receive at the highest levels in official Washington, these small islands are even more vulnerable to Beijing’s predations.”

Gray suggested enlargement or establishing of a permanent base for the U.S. Coast Guard in Guam and American Samoa. “The U.S. Coast Guard is the entity most capable of enforcing U.S. sovereignty and safeguarding vital interests across the territories and possessions. Whether it is enforcing EEZs in the Minor Outlying Islands, preventing illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing across the Pacific, or countering narcotics and human trafficking in the Caribbean, the Coast Guard is an essential tool in blunting Beijing’s assault on U.S. territories.”

“The NSC (National Security Council) could create a Director-level position responsible for integrating U.S. territories and possessions into the broader national security discussion across regional and functional areas. Having an official inside the White House complex directly accountable for the integrity of U.S. territories would generate needed energy across the U.S. government.”

Roughly 3.5 million Americans live in the five U.S. Territories as citizens or nationals. U.S. Census data indicates that the population of Puerto Rico alone (estimated at 3.2 million as of 2019) is larger than that of 20 states.

Source: Radio Free Asia, March 11, 2021
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/junshiwaijiao/rc-03112021093613.html
Real Clear Defense, March 11,
https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2021/03/11/us_territories_the_frontlines_of_global_competition_with_china_767683.html