China Needs Strategic Composure to Face America’s Containment

Although the 13th International Institute for Strategic Studies Asia Security Summit (Shangri-La Dialogue) is over, the United States and Japan joining forces to provoke and accuse China is far from over. In this meeting, the U.S. and Japan brazenly attacked China on the international multilateral platform, not only deviating from the theme of the conference, but also affecting China-U.S. and China-Japan relations and exerting a very bad influence in all of Asia. The United States and Japan are not promoting the development of international social peace, but instead are causing trouble to China’s security and stability.

Just before the dialogue, on May 28, U.S. President Barack Obama delivered a speech at the West Point graduation ceremony, re-iterating that the U.S. should assume a leadership role in international affairs:

“Here’s my bottom line: America must always lead on the world stage … The question we face … is not whether America will lead, but how we will lead …”

In his speech, Obama clearly expressed the intention of the U.S. to involve itself in the South China Sea and other Asian security affairs, asserting that the U.S. military must be prepared for anything. Regional aggression from the South China Sea and other places will affect U.S. allies, possibly leading to U.S. military involvement. Obama’s speech undoubtedly gave countries like Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam a a dose of strength.

To face Japan-U.S. aggression, People’s Liberation Army Deputy Chief of Staff Wang Guanzhong put up a strong opposition to show China’s calmness toward the Japan-U.S. provocation.

The Asia-Pacific rebalancing strategy of the U.S. is mainly meant to strengthen its containment of China. With this strategy, the U.S. is usually behind the scenes, encouraging Japan, the Philippines, Vietnam and other countries to act as pawns to fight in the front lines. However, in the Shangri-La Dialogue, it suddenly jumped out to criticize China. Why?

Here are some reasons:

First, China’s rapid and constant development worries the United States, and a sheep in wolf’s clothing, the U.S. chooses to see China as an enemy. In recent years, now that the economic development of the U.S. is no longer impressive, its influence and decisive power in international affairs has weakened, and playing the role of the world’s police is easier said than done. Seeing countries like China, Russia and India as rapidly emerging economies and gradually contributing to international affairs to achieve a multipolar world, the U.S. faces challenges in its pursuit to lead such a unipolar world, and is now insecure about its worldwide superpower status.

Second, the United States is helpless against Russia and tries to escape the problems in Ukraine by shifting focus to China. After the outbreak in Ukraine, the U.S. and its Western allies imposed economic sanctions on Russia. This did not shake Russia’s determination, but instead hardened its geopolitical strategy. It can be said that Western countries are out of ideas about Russia. The U.S. and Western countries failed miserably to implement their policies in the South Caucasus, and so as to restore a little face, they tried to shift the focus, starting from Asia, pointing directly at China, taking a hegemonic route.

Third, the United States wants to explain itself to its Asian allies, showing a gesture of support, comforting them, and pulling them in to be its willing pawns.

In its high-handedness and short-sightedness, the U.S. brings great harm to its world-power and military relations with China, completely destroying their overall relationship and affecting the world’s peace and stability.

To face Japan-U.S. provocation and groundless accusation, China must also have great decisive power, first from creating strategies for peaceful development in order to oppose hegemony and unipolarity, then tactically responding to the incessant and groundless provocations from Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Xi Jinping pointed out in the summit that China advocates for common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security in Asia, and for innovating its security concept. It seeks to build a new framework for regional security and cooperation and walk a build, share, and win-win road. As the saying goes, “Families wish each other well, as do neighbors.” China perseveres to be kind to its neighbors, treat them as partners, adhere to an amicable, secure and prosperous neighborhood, practice closeness, honesty, mutual benefit, and inclusiveness, and let their own development benefit Asian countries.

As for Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam — which continue to stir up trouble for China’s core interests — we should definitely uphold the concept of “friendship is not one-sided” toward these unfriendly and mischievous neighbors. We should let these neighbors that use the U.S. to intimidate us suffer a little, so that they really understand the meaning of “a relative afar is of less use than a close neighbor.”

Persevering on a road of peaceful development is the Chinese government and people’s long-term commitment. China will never seek hegemony or engage in expansion. We adhere to China’s Socialist qualities: confidence in path, confidence in theory, and confidence in system. The road we walk is not to dominate or expand, and it will determine the high ground of morality and development on which we stand, which strengthens our confidence in development.

With the path of peaceful development and the “three confidences,” we have greater determination to face every sort of pressure and challenge. No external provocation and blame can stop China’s peaceful development and rise. China’s peaceful development is the in the mainstream of the world’s development, whereas the U.S.’s route of hegemony spurns everyone in the world.

The U.S. containment of China and the provocation of its neighboring countries only remind us that China is not at peace; there will be hindrance and interference here and there, but it strengthens our road of development and “three confidences” even more. To face that hindrance and interference, we must have the strategic layout of a big country, but not so much as to affect China’s development of strategic opportunities, and also in order to give those countries tit for tat and make them put away their clown tricks. As the People’s Liberation Army Chief of Staff Fang Fenghui once said, the oil rig in the Paracel Islands will be successfully drilled, and damage will not be tolerated. This principle gives us courage to persevere and go our own way without interference from the outside world. At the same time, we are ready at any moment to respond to provocations and challenges from all sides.

China’s determination comes from its self-confidence, and China’s self-confidence comes from its peaceful development. Today, China has become the world’s second largest economy, which is the result of peaceful development. This result also attracts the U.S. and neighboring countries to gang up on China; the tree longs for peace, but the wind will never cease. They advocate the “China Threat Theory,” intentionally or otherwise viewing China as an enemy. Looking at how the U.S. and Japan have done things, their anxiety and fear comes from their days of growing economic development taking a downturn, from the U.S. believing that its dominance has been challenged.

In fact, the United States need not worry because China is committed to peaceful development; it does not seek hegemony or expansion. China’s peaceful development and rise contributes tremendously to world peace and development. The United States, Japan, and the other countries should realize that they should adapt to China’s rise. They should see the reality that peaceful development is in the mainstream of world development and realize that China’s rise is unstoppable. They should be able to adapt to and cooperate with China and develop together. When that time comes, these last-resort containment strategies will also be relinquished.