We Should Take Heed of What America Does, Not What It Says

Before attending the ASEAN meeting, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed the opinion that relations between China and the U.S. were not a zero sum game. She said, “there are some in both countries who think China's interests and ours are fundamentally at odds. They apply a zero-sum calculation to our relationship. So whenever one of us succeeds, the other must fail. But that is not our view.” She also believes that in the 21st century, for China and America to view one another as rivals would not be in anyone’s interests; hence, “we are working together to chart a positive, cooperative and comprehensive relationship for this new century.”

It is clear just from looking at this message that it is very confusing. In reality, what will America do to back up Hillary’s words?

In the near future we should expect to see this valiant woman (who tends to lead foreign policy forward, while Obama clearly shows signs of stalling) stating that the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty is applicable to the waters around the Diaoyu Islands. This will directly lead to further deterioration in Sino-Japanese relations due to increasingly heightened tensions over the Diaoyu Islands boat collision incident, and will cause Japan, which has no reasonable grounds for argument in the Diaoyu Islands dispute, to take an even harder line over the issue. If we look back to the Cheonan incident, the large-scale military exercises which America has held frequently with various countries on China’s borders, its attempts to internationalize the South China Sea issue between China and Southeast Asian nations and its constant challenges to China’s core interests, then America’s sinister intentions become abundantly clear.

Furthermore, America has been unrelenting over the issue of the Chinese Yuan — which has risen rapidly and continues to rise at a slower pace — and is forcing China’s hand at every step of the way! America usually employs specious theoretical arguments in the debate over the RMB’s appreciation to force China to make concessions in other areas and to make all sorts of gains for itself. And yet America itself continues to adopt the euphemistically-dubbed “relaxed monetary policy” in order to raise the capital it needs, which, put simply, means shamelessly turning on the money printing machines!

Therefore, we mustn’t be confused by Uncle Sam’s glib words; sometimes, if one is not careful, that can be fatal. China’s current state of affairs has been hard-won. What we really ought to do is pay attention to how America is acting, how it acts in the future and how it has previously acted in the history of U.S.-China relations. From this, we see that America has consistently hindered and pressured China during its peaceful transition from socialism to capitalism. I do not foresee these tactics being discontinued in the future. There is a second island chain beyond the first island chain, but this “obvious encirclement” is not what we should be worrying about; likewise, the first island chain, currently showing signs of rupture, can be destroyed. What is worrying is whether America has some kind of “hidden encirclement” that we cannot see and about which have no way of knowing?