Friends of the Church in China
China and Asia
Not so long ago, Asian countries viewed China with suspicion, distrust and fear. After the Communist party came to power in 1949, it backed local Communist cells which were responsible for encouraging insurgencies and uprisings where they could. China and its people came to be distrusted by its Asian neighbours, many of whom decided the United States and its allies were a better bet in terms of security, protection and assistance.
Fast forwardto today andChina’s image has undergone a makeover in the eyes of its Asian neighbours. As it goes from national to international strength both economically and diplomatically, many in Asia see China as a source of pride, an example of the success of Asian values and as a possible blueprint for their own development in the future. Meanwhile, the United States, through its questionable behaviour in places like Afghanistan and Iraq,has fallen out of favour with Asian nations in recent years and hasn’t had the time, will or resources to nurture these relationships. As a result, many Asian countries are now choosing to engage with China as a counterbalance to American global influence and a voice able to articulate their Asian concerns to the wider international community.
As well as standing up to America, many in Asia see China as the only country with enough clout to have any influence over rogue nations within Asia itself, particularly places like Myanmar andNorth Korea. China is North Korea’s most significant trading partner and ally and high hopes have been placed this relationship. China has been instrumental in hosting and convening six-nation nuclear talks with North Korea since 2003 and the only one who has really been able to get North Korea back to the table when talks break down. In 2006, when North Korea test fired a nuclear device, China expressed its displeasure and withdrew its delivery of oil and food supplies to North Korea. In early 2007, North Korea agreed to return to the negotiating table, although it left again in 2009. When Pyongyang made a second nuclear test in 2009 without warning, in a rare move, China did not use its United Nations Security Council membership to veto sanctions. China has a huge stake in keeping the peace on the North Korean peninsula for, should things ever collapse there, China could face a huge refugee or humanitarian crisis spilling over in to its north-eastern provinces.
China has been busy in recent years patching up relations with other Asian nations. For many years, China and India have exchanged hostilities over border disputes, China’s recognition of Sikkim as an independent state instead of a part of India, and also India’s decision to offer sanctuary to the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet, the Dalai Lama. War broke out briefly between the two countries in 1962 and tensions have been high ever since. Howeverboth nations have taken steps towards repairing the relationship. A crossing point between India and China which had remained closed since 1962 re-opened and China also agreed to recognise the state of Sikkim as a part of India. A number of trade agreements were also concluded at the same time. However, the future is uncertain for China and India. Both countries are geographically large and diverse, house the world’s largest populations and are seeking to develop rapidly economically, as well as gain greater international recognition and status. Both countries also have long histories and rich cultures of which they are justifiably proud. It remains to be seen whether China and India go forward more as partners or bitter rivals.
China has love-hate relationship with another key player in the region, Japan. While admiring Japan’s modernity, technological prowess and economic power, and while welcoming Japanese goods and investment, China and the Chinese people in general still harbour deep resentment towards the Japanese for their role in occupying and humiliating China during World War II. China repeatedly calls on Japan to apologise for its actions during the war but Japan has thus far refused to do so. This issue remains a thorn in the side of relations between the two countries, and many young Chinese people today find themselves in the extraordinary position of enjoying Japanese fashions, karaoke songs, films and food while being taught at school and by their parents a more negativeattitude.
While admiring the Chinese as an Asian success story, some in Asia are also wary of China’s growing power and influence in the region. The SpratlyIslands are a set of islets and coral reefs in the South China Sea said to be rich in oil and mineral deposits, and they are claimed equally by China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. Since the late 80s, China has been more aggressive in its claims on these islands and has even had military skirmishes with Vietnam over them.
One potential flash point in Asia involving China relates to Taiwan, the small island off the mainland’s eastern coast. When the Communists declared the People’s Republic of China in the late 1940s, the ruling Nationalists fled to Taiwan to continue their Republic of China government from there. Both sides claimed to be the sole legitimate representatives of China, and Taiwan held China’s seat at the United Nations until 1971 when it was handed over to the People’s Republic. In the meantime, Taiwan has developed and flourished apart from mainland China, and there are strong voices from within Taiwan calling for it to become a fully independent state. For mainland China this is unacceptable as it views Taiwan as an indisputable part of China which must be taken back by force if re-unification through peaceful means is not possible. Meanwhile, the United States has pledged to help Taiwan defend itself against any unprovoked attack by mainland China.
However, tensions in the Taiwan Straithave diminished since the landslide election of the Kuomintang’s Ma Ying-jeou to the island’spresidency in late 2008. Both the Chinese Communist Party and the Kuomintang follow a one China policy. Since Ma came to power Beijing and Taipei have signed historical deals to establish permanent air, sea and postal links.
Fortunately, worries about unrest and upheaval in two other places in Asia related to China have proven to be more or less unfounded. In 1997, the former Britishterritory of Hongkong was returned to Chinese sovereignty and likewise the Portuguese enclave of Macau in 1999. While both places are still working out how best to relate to mainland China and what it means to operate under the ‘one country, two systems’ formula, daily life remains more or less the same for citizens in both places, and they continue to enjoy a relatively high standard of living in peaceful and stable environments.
11.2009