Masdar F Masíudi uttered an interesting opinion during the discussion "Dismantling the Root of Terrorism" in Jakarta earlier this week. According to the PBNU official, China opposes the hegemony of the United States not with violence, but by quietly building its economy, society, politics and military for the last 20 years. “Now, even America has to tip its hat to China’s progress,” said Masdar. Because of that, he urges that opposition to America be conducted in an intelligent way like it is in China.
It is important that this opinion be noted and contemplated by all of us in Indonesia. Masdar offered this assessment to advance a new thesis about the most reasonable way to oppose American hegemony and its negative impacts. That thesis is fit to be considered as an alternative to the ways of violence and terror that, according to this view, will inevitably use up a lot of energy and damage one’s own self. Haven’t we seen terrorism in Indonesia consuming many victims of its own nation during all this time?
Even though Masdar did not present data about the progress of China, the record of its development is already widely known. The Panda Nation is famous for adhering to a socialist system but applying an economic policy that is capitalistic. Socialism can be peacefully “wrapped” within capitalism in China, astonishing the world as a result. Every year, its economic growth is above 10 percent while other countries only record an average growth of 5 percent. In fact, the economies of the U.S. and European countries only grow by an average of 2 percent to 4 percent.
On account of the speed of its economic growth, the authorities of China itself are even worried and are trying to suppress it with various policies. The last thing they did was cancel plans to devalue the yuan. The continually strengthening value of the yuan is protested by many countries, mainly developed countries, because that value can accelerate the crisis in those regions. China itself sees that revaluing the yuan can beat back its trade in products all over the world; Chinese products have long been known for their high competitiveness because of cheap prices.
With high economic growth as well as global domination of manufactured products and electronics, China now appears to be a country with the second-greatest economic strength in the world after America. Japan and South Korea have already been surpassed. China’s foreign exchange reserves, which reach $3 trillion, are the biggest in the world. Not only that, but 20 years in the future, China’s military strength and weapons systems are predicted to equal America’s. At that time, China will appear to be a new superpower.
It can be said that China is in the process of reaching its destiny as America’s replacement. All the prerequisites for becoming a new superpower will soon be met. With a very large population, the global and geopolitical influence of the “Bamboo Curtain” country cannot be ignored. This is even more true if at the beginning of 2012, China has already begun to build cross-country China-Singapore and China-Tehran-Europe railroads. So what Masdar said was correct; China’s model of “opposition” to American hegemony should be an example.
Ada pendapat menarik dari Masdar F Masíudi sebagaimana diutarakan dalam diskusi “Membongkar Akar Terorisme“ di Jakarta, awal pekan ini. Menurut fungsionaris PBNU itu, China melawan hegemoni Amerika Serikat bukan dengan cara kekerasan, melainkan dengan diam-diam membangun ekonomi, sosial, politik, dan militer selama 20 tahun terakhir. “Sekarang Amerika pun harus angkat topi melihat kemajuan China,“ kata Masdar. Karena itu, ia mengimbau agar perlawanan terhadap Amerika dilakukan secara cerdas seperti pilihan China.
Pendapat tersebut penting untuk digarisbawahi, dan dijadikan bahan renungan bagi kita semua di Indonesia. Masdar mengemukakan penilaiannya itu untuk mengajukan tesis baru tentang cara paling proporsional dalam melawan hegemoni Amerika dan dampak negatifnya. Tesis itu pantas dipertimbangkan sebagai ganti cara kekerasan dan teror yang menurut pandangannya justru akan menghabiskan banyak energi dan merugikan diri sendiri. Bukankah selama ini kita memang melihat aksi teror di Tanah Air justru banyak memakan korban bangsa sendiri?
Meskipun Masdar tidak mengemukakan data tentang kemajuan China, rekor perkembangannya telah diketahui secara luas. Negeri Panda ini dikenal menganut sistem sosialis tetapi menerapkan kebijakan ekonomi yang kapitalistik. Sosialisme bisa “berselimutkan“ kapitalisme secara damai di China dengan hasil yang mencengangkan dunia. Pertumbuhan ekonomi tiap tahun di atas 10 persen ketika negara-negara lain hanya mencatat pertumbuhan rata-rata 5 persen. Bahkan ekonomi Amerika dan negara-negara Eropa hanya tumbuh ratarata 2-4 persen.
Saking pesatnya pertumbuhan ekonomi, penguasa China bahkan khawatir sendiri dan berusaha menekannya dengan berbagai kebijakan. Terakhir yang dilakukan adalah dengan membatalkan rencana devaluasi mata uang yen. Nilai yen yang terus menguat diprotes oleh banyak negara, terutama negara-negara maju karena dinilai dapat menekan krisis di kawasan tersebut. China sendiri melihat revaluasi yen dapat memukul balik perdagangan produknya di seluruh dunia, yang selama ini dikenal memiliki daya saing tinggi dengan harga yang murah.
Dengan pertumbuhan ekonomi yang tinggi serta dominasi produk-produk manufaktur dan elektroniknya di dunia, China kini tampil sebagai negara dengan kekuatan ekonomi nomor dunia dunia terbesar setelah Amerika. Jepang dan Korea Selatan sudah dilewati. Cadangan devisa China yang mencapai 3 triliun dolar AS merupakan yang terbesar di dunia. Bukan hanya itu, dalam 20 tahun ke depan, kekuatan militer dan sistem persenjataan China diprediksi sudah menyamai Amerika. Pada saat itu, China akan tampil sebagai adidaya baru.
Boleh dikatakan, China sedang menuju proses untuk menggapai takdirnya sebagai pengganti Amerika. Segala prasyarat untuk menjadi negara adidaya baru sebentar lagi akan terpenuhi. Dengan jumlah penduduk yang sangat besar, pengaruh global dan geopolitik Negeri Tirai Bambu itu tidak bisa diabaikan. Apalagi jika mulai tahun 2012 nanti, China sudah mulai membangun jalur kereta api lintas negara BeijingSingapura dan Beijing-Teheran-Eropa. Maka benar apa yang dikatakan Masdar, model “perlawanan“ China patut dijadikan contoh.
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The economic liberalism that the world took for granted has given way to the White House’s attempt to gain sectarian control over institutions, as well as government intervention into private companies,
It wouldn’t have cost Trump anything to show a clear intent to deter in a strategically crucial moment; it wouldn’t even have undermined his efforts in Ukraine.
It wouldn’t have cost Trump anything to show a clear intent to deter in a strategically crucial moment; it wouldn’t even have undermined his efforts in Ukraine.