Containment bid by the neoconservatives fails
By Wang Yusheng
BEIJING, March 26 -- The long-time schemes by some countries to "contain China" have failed because reality has proved they were only fantasies.
Nearly two decades after the end of the Cold War, the mindset of that era still lingers on in some countries. The rightwing politicians and activists have been seeking an "Asian version of NATO" to deal with China, but their efforts have yielded little results.
To curb China's rapid development in recent years, those people have gambled by hedging their bets on both sides.
In 2006, the US neoconservative idealists proposed building a democratic alliance through the reform of existing international institutions and the creation of new ones, and their main target apparently being China.
Such a proposal received response in Japan where some people wanted to design an "Arc of Freedom and Prosperity". US-Japan-Australia security talks got underway while the US also persuaded India to join them.
However, such efforts were doomed to fail.
First, these plans were not in the people's interests nor in accord with their national interests. Asian people had been through extreme suffering during two world wars, including two atomic bombings.
The end of the Cold War sparked
hopes of peace, cooperation and development, in opposition to the plots
of neoconservatives and right-wing politicians. The leaders of Asian
countries had to think about their own national interests, and those of
their people.
Second, such alliances were born unhealthy while some were stillborn.
Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard was not an enthusiast of the so-called four-nation-alliance. Emphasizing that a rising China was both good for Australia and the world. Howard reiterated that Australia had no intention to contain China.
Kevin Rudd, the current Australian prime minister who speaks fluent Mandarin, has made it clear he will enhance friendship between Australia and China. The Australian Foreign Ministry also said last year's four-nation strategic talks led to concern in China, indicating Australia might have second thoughts about the alliance.
Despite Japan being a loyal friend of the US, the country's new Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said Japan will develop relations with the US and other Asian countries at the same time, indicating he might abandon the slogan of "Arc of Freedom and Prosperity".
South Korea, not in favor of Cold War rhetoric, is another US ally, but wants to play a balancing role.
The new South Korean President Lee Myung-bak may improve bilateral relations with the US, but it is doubtful he will join an alliance to contain China.
Third, while the "old friends" have become loosely connected in terms of containment of China, "new partners" will be harder to lure, not to mention India and ASEAN (The Association of South East Asian Nations).
India and China are busying building on their new strategic partnership of peace and prosperity", while ASEAN is boosting trade with China. All of them are China's friendly neighbors who support and help each other.
Although they will need cooperation and support from the US and Japan, they are not likely to work as partners in an "anti-China" alliance.
While the Western media has exaggerated India's participating in some political conferences and military exercises with the US and Japan, and referred to it as "containment of China", India has kept good relations with China and Russia.
China sticks to the road of peaceful development and the Good Neighbor and Friendship Policy. China not only says so, but also shows it by concrete actions
Furthermore, China's peaceful rising has brought unprecedented opportunities to its Asian neighbors and the world, and hence forged common interests.
It is time those value-oriented idealists leave their dreams behind and create a harmonious society in the Asia-Pacific region.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-03/26/content_7861045.htm