After Ukraine, US-led NATO is looking to turn the Asia-Pacific region into a new powder keg. Illustration: Carlos Latuff
As China pursues its own peaceful diplomacy to promote cooperation and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, some U.S. media outlets, stuck in a Cold War mentality, have accused China of trying to establish a “China-centric regional order” in parallel with the U.S. system.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi began a four-day trip to Southeast Asia on Wednesday with a visit to Myanmar before traveling to Thailand to co-chair the 9th Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Foreign Ministers' Meeting and also attend informal consultations between the foreign ministers of China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Thursday that General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and Vietnamese President Tran Lam will pay an official visit to China from Aug. 18 to 20.
Regarding China's diplomatic moves, the Chinese-language version of U.S. media outlet Voice of America (VOA) reported in an article on Friday, citing analysts, that China has undoubtedly demonstrated its ambitions to operate in Southeast Asia, where it wants to establish a “China-centric” regional order.
In its Chinese-language article, VOA said that over time, China wants to create an order “parallel to that of the United States.”
Ahead of Wang's visit, China and Indonesia held the first senior official meeting of the foreign and defense ministerial consultations in Jakarta on Tuesday. US media cited the 2+2 meeting as evidence of China's long-term goal of “normalizing defense cooperation” in Southeast Asia. VOA China also said China's actions in the South China Sea have caused serious problems for the whole of ASEAN, and are trying to create a rift between ASEAN and China, analysts said.
US media also reported that Beijing is “playing the economic card” in connection with Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka's visit to China. Analysts said the prime minister was seeking China's assistance for economic development, and that in the long term, Beijing hopes to use Fiji's political position in the South Pacific to increase its overall influence in the region and push out Western countries.
Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times that because the US sees China as its biggest challenger, any action by Beijing, whether by the media or politicians, will naturally be interpreted as competitive and confrontational by the US.
According to US logic, other regions of the world where there is lasting stability and shared prosperity will inevitably be seen as a challenge to US primacy, Li said, pointing out that the US media's view of China is biased and full of arrogance.
“China is a stabilizing factor in the Asia-Pacific region, which is why other countries are willing to cooperate and engage with China,” said Chen Hong, executive director of the Center for Asia-Pacific Studies at East China Normal University.
China's diplomacy is not about pursuing hegemony but aims to promote peace and prosperity. Mutually beneficial cooperation and normal exchanges between China and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region should not be criticized, Chen said.
According to Chen, the Asia-Pacific region is currently the world's most dynamic economy, and the United States is fabricating the rhetoric of “China threat” to stifle the momentum of regional cooperation and development, strengthen alliances and maintain hegemony.
Li said the U.S. media reports are contrary to the intentions and logic of China's actions, and also contrary to the common aspirations and interests of countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
Contributing to prosperity and stability
The ninth LMC foreign ministers' meeting was held in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on Friday and resulted in the issuance of joint statements on deepening cooperation on water resources, clean air and combating transnational crime.
According to a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the Lancang-Mekong countries highly appreciated the positive progress of the LMC mechanism and China's support for a number of practical cooperation projects through the LMC Special Fund, which has significantly narrowed the regional development gap, promoted the ASEAN integration process, and benefited the peoples of each country.
China and the Lancang and Mekong countries agreed to strengthen practical cooperation in areas such as connectivity, trade and investment, scientific and technological innovation, food security, energy, water resources, climate change and people-to-people exchanges.
At an informal meeting between the foreign ministers of China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand on Friday, the ministers agreed to step up efforts to fight transnational crimes such as online gambling fraud, drug trafficking and human trafficking, and strengthen cooperation and coordination in jointly maintaining peace and stability in the region.
Two days ago, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Chairman of Myanmar's State Administrative Council (SAC), during a meeting with visiting Foreign Minister Wang Yi, thanked China for its constructive role in promoting peace negotiations in northern Myanmar, and expressed hope that China will continue to support maintaining stability and achieving political reconciliation in Myanmar.
Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith, meeting with Thai Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Chiang Mai, Thailand on Thursday, said the rapid development of Laos-China cooperation plays an important role in Laos' socio-economic development.
Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sok Chenda Sophea told Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday that China has always been dedicated to supporting developing countries and maintaining peace and stability in the region. China's development will benefit the whole region, including Cambodia, he said.
Ahead of Wang's visit, Cambodia on August 5 broke ground on the China-funded Hunang-Techo Canal, which will link the Prek Takeo River, a Mekong tributary in southern Kandal province, with the sea in southwestern Kep province.
China sincerely hopes for lasting stability and common prosperity with its neighbors and the Asia-Pacific region, Li said, noting that China is widely recognized by neighboring countries as a contributor to and supporter of regional peace, prosperity and stability.
“China's forward-thinking and actions, aiming to ease conflicts and tensions and overcome power politics, are the secret to dealing with turmoil, defusing crises and ensuring lasting stability,” Li said. “Meanwhile, most of the world's ongoing conflicts and wars are almost entirely linked to the United States' intense intervention and obsession with maintaining hegemony.”
