Why would Deputy Secretary of State Robert B. Zoellick warn China that it is creating a “caldron of anxiety” within the United States? While the awaking of the Chinese dragon is raising concerns throughout Asia, it appears that the United States is feeling the most threatened of all. Acknowledging that China does not want a conflict with the US, Zoellick nevertheless has detailed his country’s concerns.
These concerns encompass a wide range of military, political, social and economic areas all of which are being perceived as direct threats to US’ domestic and foreign interests. Chief among these is the change in China’s military policy. For a long time China was neglecting its military concentrating instead on economic and social modernization of the country. Then about 10 years ago, it changed that policy into “a wealthy nation and a powerful military”. The United States was caught off guard and seems to have just recently recognized the rapid advances within the Chinese military machine. The recent joint exercises conducted with the Russian military has also contributed to US trepidation.
Zoellick accused China of showing increased signs of mercantilism that he claims undercuts US domestic support for open markets. Given the ready cash cow that China’s growing economy has generated it is a foregone conclusion that China would begin investing in everything from washing machine manufacturing to oil companies. The volume of transactions involving a Chinese buyer and an international target has increased from $2 billion to 3 billion a year to $23 billion in 2005.
As the world’s leading producer of counterfeit goods, China is being criticized by the US for not doing enough to stop the rampant theft of intellectual property. While it is valid that China is producing in vast numbers everything from knock-off designer-brand clothing to pirated films and imitation consumer electronics, the chances of trying to police these actions across the vast region that is China are meager at best.
In his speech, Zoellick specifically raised US concerns regarding China’s dealings with both Sudan and Burma. Describing those two countries as “troublesome states”, he asserted that China’s relationship with them indicated “at best blindness to consequences and at worst something more ominous”. While China’s motivation to do business with Sudan’s government may be self-centered, it is not ominous. China began courting President Omar Bashir years ago and has not denied its motive was oil. Today China is the largest foreign investor in Sudan and is dependent on that country for seven percent of its oil imports. Beijing has invested $8 billion in the development of Sudanese oil. Chinese interest in Burma was created by the US decision to impose sanctions on that country. The vacuum this created was quickly filled by the Chinese who in 2003 gave Rangoon a $200 million package.
A subtle concern the US is expressing is China’s attempts to “maneuver toward a predominance of power” in Asia by building separate alliances in Southeast Asia. This is obviously a reference to the ASEAN. While ASEAN is primary a trading bloc, the US is worried that China has plans to increase its influence. Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao recently suggested that regional think tanks come up with a “blueprint” for security integration.
The US policy toward China has always been colored by mistrust, anxiety and a lack of cultural understanding. Although the US cooperates in individual areas of concern such as the war on terror and ridding North Korea of its nuclear weapons program, it has failed to successfully establish any long-term, lasting bonds with that country. Perhaps, one of the remnants of the Cold War is the innate fear of communism that has long plagued US foreign policy.
This coupled with China’s racing toward capitalism while inching toward democracy has contributed to an inability on the part of US leadership to distinguish real threats from imagined ones. The China of today is a powerful force that is continuing to grow. It is time for the United States to redefine its policy toward that country and this must acknowledge a new superpower presence in the world. Presenting China with a laundry list of anxious concerns is not making a policy; it is simply complaining.
