Beware of the Two Tricks the US Employed to Counter China

The United States is constantly pressuring China in the fields of exchange rates, financial liberalization, the virtual economy, etc. Its intention is not difficult to see through. Facing these two tricks, we should not be afraid.

The U.S. claims to develop friendly relations with China, which we certainly welcome; but at the same time, it speeds up arranging military bases, attempting to align with a number of countries to constrain China and therefore confine China in a “cage.” The U.S. purports to change China step by step in such a way that it won’t stop until China evolves into the way it wants. When dealing with China, the U.S. has two tricks in hand, one called “democracy,” the other “finance.”

Let’s talk about democracy first. The question at issue now is not whether to require democracy, but: First, what is the real purpose of the United States to chant “democracy” so much that it does not even hesitate to use military force against Afghanistan and Iraq? Second, is the “American democracy” the only mode of democracy? Third, the particular situations of nations vary from one another. Don’t nations situated in different stages need a development and nurturing process toward democracy? Fourth, in regards to “American democracy,” hasn’t it also exposed all kinds of problems, which even many Western intellectuals recognize as deep-rooted and hard to resolve? Fifth, can’t we talk about concentration instead of democracy?

Professor Francis Fukuyama of Harvard University,* the author of “The End of History,” recently gave a couple of speeches and published several articles that distanced him from the Iraq war. He said, “Before the establishment of liberal democracies, there must be a functioning state. However, Iraq is not so for the time being.”** Admittedly, the status of democracy in some countries is not satisfying; there indeed exist many problems. However, what kind of democracy to choose is a country’s own business; no interference by the U.S. is needed. The motive behind the interference is none other than to control the country and serve the interests of the United States.

Next we’ll take a look at the financial aspect. The pillar of the U.S. hegemony is its strong military power. Since the U.S. adopted the gold standard — which before 1971 associated the U.S. dollar with gold — during the Vietnam War, military spending was strictly subject to certain constraints. Nevertheless, things are different now; the U.S. dollar has long been delinked from gold. Michael Hudson, author of “Global Fracture,” wrote: “American neoliberalism is a powerful counter force against efforts the Third World made in the ‘70s for the establishment of a new international economic order. The essence of American neoliberalism is to destroy the Third World’s ability of self-development through financial hegemonic power and then take over these countries by financial means in order to reconstruct the economy into one with the United States in the center.”**

The United States is now constantly pressuring China in the areas of exchange rates, financial liberalization, the virtual economy, etc. Its intention is not difficult to see through. Facing these two tricks, we are not afraid. China has 5,000 years of civilization and a hundred years of revolutionary tradition. We have the confidence, wisdom and ability to cope with various challenges, as well as the determination to go our own way. Beware, do not be confused by the rhetoric and disturb our own pace.

*Editor’s Note: Francis Fukuyama earned a Ph.D. from Harvard University in Political Science. He is currently a Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University.

** Editor’s note: The original quotation, accurately translated, could not be verified.