Chinaful News: Secretary Clinton's Trip to Asia
Courtney Gould MillerUS-China relations have been at the forefront of American foreign policy since Nixon's 1972 visit -- a delicate dance between two behemoths, each with their own economic and political interests to assert. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton is traveling in the region and plans to make the customary stop in Beijing. She will meet with President Hu Jintao and his apparent successor, Xi Jinping (check out Chinaful's coverage of Xi Jinping's visit to the US here). I tweeted my approval for her robust Asia itinerary earlier this week -- Cook Islands, Indonesia, China, Timor-Leste, Brunei, and Russia.
{Clinton on a previous visit to Asia to meet with Republic of Korea, via Chinaful's Pinterest}
Yet, not everyone viewed Secretary Clinton's itinerary as positively. Los Angeles Times - World published yesterday that Beijing is not happy with what it perceives as US efforts to exert dominance on the foreign stage.
"Many Chinese people dislike Hillary Clinton,” the often-acerbic Communist Party-controlled Global Times newspaper stated in an editorial. “She has brought new and extremely profound mutual distrust between the mainstream societies of the two countries." Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei was more polite, saying at a briefing in advance of Clinton’s arrival late Tuesday, “We hope the U.S. side will keep its commitment and make efforts that help, rather than harm, regional peace and stability.”
It appears at least part of China's qualms are with Clinton's proposal of a code of conduct administered by ASEAN for disputes that arise between China and neighbors Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia regarding uninhabited islets. Though this issue does not hold the same political significance for China as say, the Taiwan Straits, it does mess with the Sino-centric nature of Asian politics that remains from more than 2,000 years of Imperial China's dominance.
Many of the smaller countries in Asia were formerly part of China's tributary system, bringing lavish gifts to the Emperor in exchange for protection during conflict. Specifically, Japan, the Philippines, Brunei, and Malaysia, as well as Korea, Siam (now Thailand), and Burma sent tribute missions to various dynasties. Even the West (England, Italy, Netherlands, to name a few) submitted to China's tributary system during Imperial China's rule in order to trade with the East. After the fall of the dynastic system, the Chinese tributary system also failed. Western influence in the region rose at the same time through occupation in China's foreign concessions as well as colonization of South East Asia.
Placed in this context, quotes in the article make more sense. China sees Western involvement in regional politics as a threat to its own dominance in Asia -- not out of paranoia, but rather based on past experience.
“We feel there are too many different countries ganging up on us. The U.S. is playing the role of the aggressor here .... It is a sign of their insecurity in the global arena," said Xu Guangyu, a retired military officer and analyst for the China Arms Control and Disarmament Assn. in Beijing.
“The concurrent themes that run through this is a strong, determined effort on the part of the United States to underscore our rebalancing toward the Asia Pacific region, to make clear that we’re here to stay,” is how a senior State Department official described the trip Thursday on the eve of Clinton’s departure.
For its part, the official New China News Agency editorialized last week that the trip is “aimed at curbing China’s growing influence,” “stirring up disputes” and perpetuating the “surreal ambition of ruling the Asia-Pacific and the world.”
In her speeches over the last week, Clinton has tried to back away from criticizing China and to downplay the rivalry. “After all, the Pacific is big enough for all of us,” she said during her first stop in Rarotonga, one of the Cook Islands, where she attended a Pacific Islands Forum.
My two cents? The US should maintain its involvement in the region but refrain from spearheading political reform regarding issues of minor importance to US interests.
Reader Comments (1)
This is my favorite post of all. It clearly shows how critical foreign policy is to our own national future as well as the people which are chosen to represent us in these matters.