China reacted with predictable anger to the official announcement this week of the so-called pact Aukus.
The details, revealed Monday in San Diego, California, unite Australia, the UK and the US in a defense alliance and far-reaching security aimed at confronting Chinese military expansion in the Indo-Pacific region.
“Heading down a dangerous path,” “ignoring the concerns of the international community,” and even “risking a new arms race and nuclear proliferation” are just some of the accusations that Beijing launches against the trio of Western allies.
Since the leader of the US Congress, Nancy Pelosimade his controversial visit to Taiwan last August, China had not expressed such intense disapproval of Western actions.
China, the world’s most populous nation with the world’s largest army and navy, says it is beginning to feel “cornered” by the United States and its allies in the western Pacific.
In response, President Xi Jinping recently announced that China would accelerate the expansion of its defense spending and named national security as the top concern for the coming years.
It is no surprise then that UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke this week about the dangerous decade ahead and the need to prepare to meet growing security challenges.
So how did we get to this point? Is the world approaching a catastrophic conflict in the Pacific between China, the US and their allies?
a misperception
The West was wrong about China. For years there was a naive assumption in foreign ministries that China’s economic liberalization would inevitably lead to an opening up of society and greater political freedom.
It was thought that as Western multinational companies set up joint ventures and hundreds of millions of Chinese citizens began to enjoy a higher standard of living, surely the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) would loosen its grip on the population, allow some reforms modest democracies and would become a full member of the so-called “rules-based international order”.
But it hasn’t worked that way.
Yeah, China has become an economic giant, a vital and integral part of the global supply chain. and the most important trading partner for countries around the world.
But rather than combine this with a shift toward democracy and liberalization, Beijing has embarked on a course that has alarmed both Western governments and many of its neighbors, including Japan, South Korea and the Philippines.
What have you done? The list is long, but here are the main points of contention between China and the West:
- taiwan: China has repeatedly promised to seize control of this self-governing island, by force if necessary. US President Joe Biden has said his country would defend it, even though Washington’s official policy is not to commit to military action.
- He mSouth China: In recent years, China has used its massive navy to colonize parts of the South China Sea, claiming it as its own territory, in contravention of international law.
- Technology: There have been increasing allegations that China secretly collects vast amounts of personal data and steals intellectual property for commercial advantage.
- Hong Kong: Beijing has successfully crushed democracy in the former British colony, handing down long jail sentences to activists.
- Uyghur Muslims: Satellite data and eyewitness accounts point to the forced internment of up to a million Uyghur Muslims in camps across Xinjiang province.
the power of china
Militarily, China is today a force to be reckoned with. In recent years, your People’s Liberation Army has made tremendous strides in technology and innovation, as well as in numbers.
China’s Dong Feng hypersonic missiles, for example, can travel at speeds in excess of Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound), armed with a high explosive or nuclear warhead.
This has made the US Navy 7th Fleetbased on Yokosuka, JapanPlease reflect on how far you are prepared to risk sailing towards the missile batteries massed on Chinese soil.
Also when it comes to nuclear ballistic missiles, China has embarked on a rapid expansion program, aiming to triple its number of warheads as it builds new silos in remote western regions.
However, none of this means that China wants to go to war. Does not want.
As for Taiwan, I would prefer to put enough pressure on it to capitulate and submit to the Beijing government without a shot being fired.
On Hong Kong, the Uyghurs and intellectual property, Beijing knows that in time the criticism will die down that trade with China is simply too important to the rest of the world.
So, Although tensions are high right now and there could well be flashpoints ahead, both sides, China and the West, they know that a war in the Pacific would be catastrophic for everyone and, despite the angry rhetoric, it is in no one’s interest at all.
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BBC-NEWS-SRC: https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-internacional-64966175, IMPORTING DATE: 2023-03-16 04:00:09
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