GOOD MORNING FROM LONDON
Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a major speech on China to the Asia Society in Washington. He claimed that China was undermining the global order that, he said, had allowed the country to flourish economically. He continued that the US was, therefore, required to work more closely with its allies and other countries “to counter Beijing’s influence.”
Blinken said that China’s transformation has been “made possible by the stability + opportunity that the international order provides. Arguably no country on Earth has benefited more than that of China. But rather than using its power to reinforce + revitalise its success so other countries can benefit from them too, Beijing is undermining it…under President Xi the ruling Chinese Communist Party has become more repressive at home and more aggressive abroad.
Some observers may feel that China’s transformation has been made possible by the commitment + hard work of the people of China and by the far-sighted long-term approach adopted by China since the introduction of Deng Hsiaoping’s Reforms in 1979. China has benefited from world trade and again this is a two way street with many countries benefiting from trade with China, and, again many countries (140) benefiting from China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
The US pursues a two-level policy toward China. On the one hand – the soft approach that “regrets” China’s trade tactics overlooks the tariff trade way introduced by Trump and continued by Biden. At the same time, the US adopts a Cold War approach with its build-up of military power in South-East Asia + the redoubling of its efforts to create an Asian NATO block in the Far East with its new Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) initiative.
Eyes are wide open in Beijing and real battles lie ahead. Whether the tensions lead to war, devastation and immense loss of life depend on the quality of the leadership decisions to be made in Washington + Beijing. Judged by the West’s decisions regarding Ukraine there is a justified concern about the future of the world.
31 MAY 2022 POST WILL FOCUS ON THE PACIFIC ISLANDS
