Washington’s efforts to drive a wedge between China and its neighbors create turbulence
(MA XUEJING / CHINA DAILY)
To serve its ambition to outcompete and outmaneuver China, the United States has stepped up efforts to incite bloc confrontations in the Asia-Pacific region and sow discord between China and its neighbors.
The US has linked the Ukraine crisis with the Taiwan question and the South China Sea situation in a bid to hype up the alleged “China threat”, undermining the trust of neighboring countries in China. The US has also enhanced defense cooperation with its allies and partners to establish a military alliance network that encircles China.
It has advanced exclusive security blocs such as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) and the Australia-United Kingdom-United States Partnership (AUKUS), aiming to create an “Asia-Pacific NATO”. From the geo-economic perspective, it also tried to persuade Japan, the Republic of Korea and India to decouple from China, compete with China and even replace China’s role in the global supply chains. It has launched the “Indo-Pacific” Economic Framework for Prosperity, which has been joined by Japan, the ROK, India and seven members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in an attempt to reshape the region’s economic order.
The US has also fanned the flames of the East China Sea issue, the South China Sea issue and the tension between China and India over their border dispute, stirred up trouble in the Taiwan Straits, and hyped up the so-called Xinjiang issue and Tibet issue.
Although most of China’s neighbors are reluctant to choose sides between China and the US, certain countries and forces have been actively cooperating with the US in its anti-China strategy.
In the East China Sea, Japan is actively playing the role of a US military outpost to serve the latter’s strategy to contain China in exchange for the US commitment that the disputed Diaoyu Islands fall within the scope of the US-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security.
On Dec 16, 2022, Japan finalized three documents including the National Security Strategy, which outlined an overhaul of its defense and security strategy. The three documents enable the country to acquire so-called counterstrike capacity, which marks a milestone shift from its “purely defensive” postwar posture.
China has made great efforts in cooling down the South China Sea issue together with countries in Southeast Asia which have also shown restraint. However, a few extra-regional powers such as the US and Japan do not want to see the peaceful settlement of the territorial disputes. They have tried to pressure China to comply with the so-called South China Sea arbitration of 2016. They have increased their military involvement in the area, interfered in negotiations over the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, and hyped up the South China Sea issue on various multilateral occasions.
Although China and India have reached a consensus on maintaining stability in the western section of the China-India boundary, India has put the border situation as a precondition for improving bilateral ties, and continuously strengthened its infrastructure building and military presence in the border areas. In November, India and the US conducted a high-altitude joint military exercise near the Sino-Indian border, heightening tension in the border region. In early December, Indian troops illegally crossed the Line of Actual Control in the Dongzhang area of the eastern section of the China-India border.
Political tensions in Northeast Asia and South Asia remain high. The Republic of Korea has toughened its stance against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and beefed up its joint military exercises with the US. In response, the DPRK has carried out a series of missile tests and vowed to bolster its nuclear capability, aggravating the tension on the Korean Peninsula.
The past year has witnessed much less frontline exchange of fire between India and Pakistan, but the two countries have quarreled severely over issues such as the Kashmir dispute and terrorism.
In the face of the complex and challenging neighboring environment, China has played the role as a responsible major country and cooperated with neighboring countries to build a community with a shared future. It has advanced its head-of-state diplomacy successfully. In September, President Xi Jinping attended the 22nd Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and paid state visits to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, cementing China’s strategic partnerships with its Central Asian neighbors.
After the conclusion of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, leaders of neighboring countries, such as Vietnam, Pakistan, Mongolia and Laos, successively visited China, highlighting the importance China attaches to its neighborhood diplomacy. In November, President Xi attended the 17th G20 Summit and the 29th APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Economic Leaders’ Meeting, and paid a state visit to Thailand.
In 2022, China promoted the alignment between the Belt and Road Initiative and development strategies of other countries, such as Mongolia’s Steppe Road Program and Laos’ strategy to convert itself from a land-locked country to a land-linked hub. China signed with neighboring countries agreements of cooperation on trade and investment facilitation, the digital economy and low-carbon development, while advancing major projects. It also pressed ahead with the implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, furthering the regional integration process.
China has also made efforts to defuse regional tensions.
China has called for the US to take concrete steps to address the legitimate security concerns of the DPRK. China has also maintained close communications with ASEAN countries over the political situation in Myanmar, stressed the unique advantage of ASEAN in handling the Myanmar issue, and tried to promote peace talks. The country has also, via multiple channels, sent humanitarian assistance such as food, medical materials and winter supplies to Afghanistan, supporting the peaceful reconstruction of the country.
The author is executive director at the Institute of South Asian Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations. The author contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.