Challenging For China

Challenging of China

Peace with China is a far more important than power over China.

The west the US especially has gotten itself  into a fretful mood over the rise of China. Quite unnecessarily so. The Chinese growth rate is slowing. China never will hit double digit growth again. Why do we fuss so much every time China seems to kick over the traces a little as with its declaration a few weeks ago of an air defence zone. Over the south China Sea? China historically does not go in for conquest. It prefers what he calls osmosis. China seems to have no territorial ambitions beyond its current borders, a part  from Taiwan, which is a special case. The ruling communist party is not by nature evangelical. Asia militarily would be a formidable undertaking. China today faces an increasingly economically and politically powerful Russia in the north Japan (the world’s third largest economy) and South Korea, with their US military alliances to the east. The disinterestedness of trade and finance is an anti-conflict potion. These days the flag has very little to do with availability.  How could China benefit from depriving the US of iron ore or computers? How could the US benefit from depriving China of oil or as a haven for its vast savings? What spat over t he ownership of contested islands in the South and East China seas would be worth a breakdown in such commerce? Simply put the highest priority for the US is for the Chinese economy to remain vibrant, growing and open to US, Japanese, South Korean and European business and for its politics to remain non-nationalistic which means not provoking it.

The US in fact has no recourse but to share power with China in Asia. Over the long run this will means the US diluting a great deal of its political authority in Asia. It must be prepared to accept Chinese equality. The US must shunt aside its long held policy of exceptionalism. If it wants China to follow the rules of the global community it must set a better example itself. In recent years, the US has conducted naval hydrographic operations in China’s Exclusive economic zone. It has conducted naval exercises near the Yellow sea. This is not good. The US must ratify the UN’s Law of the sea and obey it. But the US certainly does not want a hot war with China. Nor should it allow itself to let matters slide into a Cold War. Peace with China is a far more important than power over China.