The U.S. and China are on a collision course. An ever more confident and assertive China does not hide its views, and is not afraid to express them in a way that China itself would deplore had it been criticism from the outside on Chinese affairs. The last example is the Tibetan leader Dalai Lama’s visit to America and President Barack Obama’s wish to meet him.
China opposes the Dalai Lama’s visit to America and resolutely opposes that the American leader contacts the Dalai Lama in any way, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign office said yesterday. It takes some gall. One could try to imagine the reaction in Beijing if an American spokesperson had interfered with who Chinese President Hu Jintao is meeting.
The Chinese reaction is not completely unexpected. Norway has received Chinese warnings in relation to visits from the Dalai Lama as well. Beijing has singled him out as one of the biggest enemies of the People’s Republic, despite the Dalai Lama wanting autonomy for Tibet, not complete independence.
It is perhaps more serious that China has abandoned military cooperation with America after Washington decided to sell $6 billion worth of arms to Taiwan. Beijing does not like American inquiries into which direction the Chinese military is developing either.
A colder wind is blowing across Asia.
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