China’s power play: International cooperation for peace???
CHINA celebrated the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in grand style last 03 September. The current Time Magazine issue called the landmark event “China’s Power Play.” China’s Foreign Ministry revealed the list of 30 attending heads of State, thus (26 August):
“There will be 30 heads of state at the parade, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, South Korea President Park Geun-hye, Pakistan’s President Mamnoon Hussain, Myanmar’s President Thein Sein, and Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang, plus the heads of state of the member-nations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan).
“However, only half of the ASEAN member-countries are sending top-level political representatives. Vietnam’s and Myanmar’s Presidents will be joined by Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihamoni, Laotian President Choummaly Sayasone, and Thai Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan. Absent from the list are top-level representations from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore.”
Leaders from outside the region include Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, South African President Jacob Zuma, Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir. UN President Ban Ki-moon will also attend. Notably absent from the list: The leaders of the US and its Western allies.
THIS CHINA GUEST LIST PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW OF THE REGIONS WHERE CHINA HAS THE MOST POLITICAL CLOUT – CENTRAL ASIA, PARTS OF SOUTHEAST ASIA, AFRICA, AND (INCREASINGLY) EASTERN EUROPE. THE ONLY INCLUSION THAT COULD TRULY BE SAID TO BE A SURPRISE WAS SOUTH KOREA’S PRESIDENT PARK GEUN-HYE.
US Observations
ON THE DAY OF THE PARADE, THE NEW YORK TIMES OBSERVED (03 SEPTEMBER): “SOUTH KOREA PRESIDENT PARK GEUN-HYE, ONE OF THE FEW LEADERS ALLIED WITH THE U.S. TO SHOW UP AT THE PARADE, RECEIVED ENTHUSIASTIC CHEERS…. BUT THERE WERE PLENTY OF DEROGATORY REMARKS ABOUT NORTH KOREA’S LEADER, KIM JONG-UN WHO, THOUGH HIMSELF A CLOSE FRIEND OF CHINA, ONLY SENT AN AIDE. RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN, ON THE OTHER HAND, DREW LOUD PLAUDITS.
“Sentiment about the parade was mixed. There was nationalistic fervor, but also criticism of the Communist Party’s decision to make the march an anti-Japan event…”
selected excerpts from President Xi Jinping’s speech at that grand event, thus:
This great triumph re-established China as a major country…. It opened up bright prospects for the renewal of the Chinese nation, and set our ancient country on a new journey...
“The aim of our commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the victory of the ‘Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression’ is to bear history in mind, honor all those who laid down their lives, cherish peace, and open up the future.
“War is like a mirror. Looking at it helps us better appreciate the value of peace. Today, peace and development have become the prevailing trend, but the world is far from tranquil. War is the sword of Damocles that still hangs over mankind. We must learn the lessons of history and dedicate ourselves to peace.
In the interest of peace, we need to foster a keen sense of a global community of shared future. Prejudice, discrimination, hatred and war can only cause disaster and suffering, while mutual respect, equality, peaceful development and common prosperity represent the right path to take.
“All countries should jointly uphold the international order underpinned by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, build a new type of international relations featuring win-win cooperation, and advance the noble cause of global peace and development.
We Chinese love peace. No matter how much stronger it may become, China will never seek hegemony or expansion. It will never inflict its past suffering on any other nation.”
President Xi also announced his decision to reduce the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troop levels by 300,000. In the eyes of Western analysts, however, this is unlikely to ease regional worries about China’s growing military strength, because such reductions were part of the modernization program to shift the PLA’s capabilities away from traditional land forces to smaller, highly-mobile combat units with ultra-modern equipment.
CHINA PROBABLY DOESN’T NEED AN ARMY AS LARGE AS IT HAS. PERSONNEL ARE MASSIVE COSTS IN MILITARY BUDGETS, SO THERE ARE SENSIBLE REASONS TO CUT PERSONNEL NUMBERS WITHOUT CUTTING EFFECTIVENESS. China’s Charm Offensive towards South Korean President Park
THE DIPLOMAT ALSO REPORTED (03 SEPTEMBER): “SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT PARK GEUN-HYE WATCHED FROM A POSITION OF HONOR. DURING THE PARADE, PARK SAT TO THE LEFT OF XI’S WIFE, PENG LIYUAN, WHO WAS HERSELF SITTING TO THE LEFT OF XI. RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN WAS SEATED ON XI’S RIGHT.
“North Korea was represented at the parade by Choe Ryong-hae, Secretary of the Korean Worker’s Party and a close aide to leader Kim Jong-un.
“President Park’s attendance was watched with some concern in the US. Those who believe Park’s Administration is ‘tilting’ toward China at US expense pointed to her presence at the parade as proof. The South Korea-China relationship has certainly been an active one – this was Park’s sixth meeting with Xi and third trip to China, all since Park assumed office in February 2013.
“Xi praised Park for her efforts to improve the relationship, telling her that, thanks to their joint personal support, ‘the South KoreaChina relationship has become the best-ever national relationship in history.’ As evidence, he pointed to the recently concluded free trade agreement between China and South Korea, as well as Seoul’s decision to join the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.”
HOWEVER, SOUTH KOREAN MEDIA ARGUED THAT PARK’S INTENTION THIS TIME AROUND WAS SIMPLE – TO SEEK CLOSER COOPERATION WITH CHINA IN THE HOPES OF MAKING PROGRESS ON THE NORTH KOREA NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION ISSUE.
ACCORDING TO SOUTH KOREAN MEDIA, PARK AND XI BOTH WARNED NORTH KOREA AGAINST ACTIONS THAT COULD RAISE TENSIONS ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA. THEY ALSO CALLED FOR RESTARTING TALKS ON THE NORTH’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM THROUGH THE SIX-PARTY TALKS AT AN EARLY DATE,’ CITING THE IRAN DEAL AS A POSITIVE EXAMPLE. International Cooperation for War or Peace?
SOUTH KOREA’S PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE ALSO SAID THAT PARK PARTICULARLY THANKED CHINA FOR ITS ROLE IN HELPING END RECENT TENSIONS ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA. AFTER AN EXCHANGE OF FIRE ACROSS THE DEMILITARIZED ZONE IN MID-AUGUST, SEOUL AND PYONGYANG NEGOTIATED AN AGREEMENT DE-ESCALATING THE SITUATION.
In reaction, China’s news agency said that Xi reiterated China’s commitment to a denuclearized Korean peninsula, and its willingness to continue coordinating with South Korea on regional and international issues.
Relatedly, China’s southern neighbor Vietnam celebrated the 70th anniversary of its declaration of independence from France with its own military parade last 02 September. The parade, a day ahead of the grand event in Beijing, took place in front of the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum in Hanoi.
REUTERS REPORTED THAT SOME 30,000 PEOPLE PARTICIPATED IN THE HANOI PARADE. ALTHOUGH BOTH VIETNAM AND CHINA HAVE CLAIMED OWNERSHIP OF PARTS OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA IN THEIR LONGSTANDING TERRITORIAL CONFLICT, VIETNAM PRESIDENT TRUONG TAN SANG WENT TO BEIJING TO WITNESS CHINA’S PARADE.
Taiwan’s “Alternative Truth”
AS FOR TAIWAN, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WROTE TWO MONTHS AGO (04 JULY): “TAIWAN MARCHED OUT THOUSANDS OF TROOPS AND DISPLAYED ITS MOST MODERN MILITARY HARDWARE TO SPOTLIGHT AN OLD BUT OFTEN FORGOTTEN CLAIM THAT ITS FORCES, NOT THE CHINESE COMMUNISTS, LED THE CAMPAIGN THAT ROUTED IMPERIAL JAPAN FROM CHINA 70 YEARS AGO.
The ROC (Republic of China) or Taiwan military staged an unusually large two-hour parade of homegrown missiles, attack helicopters, and a mountain bike team designed for stealth missions, followed by awards for aged WWII veterans….
“‘The war of resistance was led by the ROC and Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek was the force behind it,’ Taiwan President Ma Yingjeou said during that parade. ‘No one is allowed to distort that.’”
TAIWAN’S NATIONALIST PARTY RULED ALL OF CHINA WHEN JAPAN INVADED PARTS OF THE COUNTRY IN 1931, FORMING A CENTRAL STAGE OF THE WWII ASIA-PACIFIC THEATER. TAIWAN OFFICIALS SAY THAT DURING CHINA’S EIGHT-YEAR RESISTANCE AGAINST JAPAN, THE COMMUNIST FORCES WERE MAINLY BUILDING UP THEIR OWN RANKS AND FIGHTING A CIVIL WAR THEY WOULD EVENTUALLY WIN. CHINA AND TAIWAN SPLIT IN 1949.
BEIJING INVITED TAIWAN REPRESENTATIVES TO THE 03 SEPTEMBER PARADE, BUT THE ISLAND GOVERNMENT SAID THAT OFFICIALS WOULD BE BANNED BY LAW AND THAT PRIVATE CITIZENS SHOULD ATTEND WITH CAUTION.
THE PROSPECTS
FROM THESE RECENT DEVELOPMENTS, THERE ARE NO CLEAR PROSPECTS FAVORING EITHER ABSOLUTE WAR OR ABSOLUTE PEACE IN THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE. WHAT APPEARS MORE REALISTIC TODAY IS THE STATUS OF “ARMED PEACE” WHICH IS A WESTERN DEFINITION OF CHINA’S AGGRESSIVENESS BY WAY OF LAND RECLAMATION AND CONSTRUCTION OF MILITARY FACILITIES IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA/WEST PHILIPPINE SEA. THIS IS ALSO THE “INCOMPLETE TRUTH” ABOUT THE STATUS OF U.S.-CHINA BILATERAL RELATIONS AND THEIR DIPLOMATIC INTERACTIONS.