September 11 distracted the United States from China’s rise. Without the attacks, China wouldn’t be where it is today, says Frank Ching.
After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, it was common to hear that ‘everything had changed.’ Now, as the dust settles following the killing of Osama bin Laden, it seems a good time to take stock and see just how much is really different.
Yet when one does, it quickly becomes clear that while from the United States’ standpoint, things have gotten worse, from China’s point of view the attacks were a blessing in disguise.
With the demise of the Soviet Union, the George W. Bush administration came to office in January 2001 seeing China as the next enemy. The new US government’s intention was to strengthen ties with US allies in Asia, especially Japan and South Korea, and to bolster Taiwan’s political and military position.
Bush himself had already repudiated the Clinton administration’s policy of forging a strategic partnership with China, calling Beijing a strategic competitor, rather than a strategic partner.
When Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage set off on his first Asian trip to discuss US plans for building and deploying missile defense systems, he went to Japan, South Korea and India, conspicuously skipping China. The task of visiting China instead fell to the lower-ranking James Kelly, Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
But it was the collision of a US EP-3 reconnaissance aircraft and a Chinese fighter jet—and the loss of the Chinese flier’s life—on April 1, 2001 that precipitated a crisis that took Sino-US relations to a new low.
The US plane made an emergency landing on Hainan Island and the crew of 24 was detained. In the United States, yellow ribbons were tied to trees, recalling the holding of American hostages in Iran. The situation deteriorated badly enough for Kelly to declare to the House International Relations Committee that ‘recent events have called into question where we stand in our relationship with China and where we want to go.’
Ten days after the crew was returned, Bush decided on a major arms deal for Taiwan, offering several billion dollars worth of equipment—the biggest arms package since his father decided in 1992 to sell F-16s to Taiwan. The new package included diesel-powered submarines, which the United States had never previously offered to Taiwan.
China lodged a strong protest against the sale. But days later, Bush, marking his 100th day in office, said in an interview on Good Morning America that the United States would do ‘whatever it took to help Taiwan defend herself’ against China—a pledge that went even further than the Taiwan Relations Act.
The following month, the Bush administration offered a transit visa to the president of Taiwan, Chen Shui-bian, which far exceeded the limited terms provided by the Clinton administration. Indeed, Chen was allowed to transit the United States both on his way to Latin America and while returning to Taiwan, stopping first in New York for two nights in May and then transiting Houston for a night in June.
While the Clinton administration had tried to keep such visits as unofficial as possible, the Bush administration encouraged members of Congress to meet with the Taiwanese leader on the grounds that meetings with foreign leaders help in ‘advancing our national interests.’
Photo Credit: A. Strakey
View as Single Page
Reddit
Digg
StumbleUpon
Delicious
Technorati
Yahoo
Google
Plurk
Assadullah Ahmedzai
I dont want to analyze but I would like to comment and tell the human being of 21 century of this world that we all are the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, the creaturing of human being is to respects each other, respect human rights, bring and implement justice, teach and learn the best from each other, help, assist, cooperate and give hands to eahc other if need arise among you the human the man. the current super power of 21 century of this world is to respects each other, assist and cooperate the third impoverished countries at the field of education, health, food, shelter and sharing of different communities cultures and experiences.
I will be pleased to comment on my suggestions or comments,
Assadullah Ahmedzai
economic and Political Analyst
kabul,Afghanistan
bose
China never want the USA to dominate, at this moment, Asia. Who knows what is next. Whatever disrupts the economy or any kind of catastrophic destruction in the US will be exploited by China. It is not surprised that Chinese showed their happiness in the September 11 event. A few years after September 11, Chinese military leaders proposed to divide the pacific into two jurisdictions; from Hawaii to the East belongs to the USA while the rest to the West will be under Chinese control. While the Bush administration was busy with two wars, China schemed up to intimidate ASEAN and neighboring countries. Politicians considered Hillary Clinton’s speech in Hanoi last year is a significant commitment of the US policy in the past 40 years, it is as significant as of the trip to China in 1972 by Henry Kissinger, but the effect is obviously in opposite direction.
The_Observer
There was no Chinese conspiracy regarding Osama Bin Laden but rather parochial obsessions of an increasingly militarized USA acted on without much thought. The USA was looking for another “evil empire” to have a go at after the fall of the USSR and China fitted this bill nicely in the late 1990s. This was derailed by the USA getting trapped in two unneccessary wars of its own making. The US-Pakistani backed Mujahadeen did their work and expelled the USSR and shortly afterwards contributed to the breakup of that body. Instead of stabilizing a greatful Afghanistan the Americans then left that country to fester. This resulted in the Taliban coming into power and in 1994 when the USA forced Sudan to expell Osama Bin Laden hefled with his men to Aghanistan forming and funding an allegiance with the Taliban. The USA invaded Afghanistan in 2001. While that was ongoing George W. Bush decided to add invasion of Iraq as revenge for 9/11. A strange decision considering that most of the so-called terrorists who carried out the bombings of the twin towers and the Pentagon were Al Qaida (hostile to Saddam Hussain) and were mostly Saudi Arabian nationals.
Yes, China did get a break for about a decade from the USA’s interference but it was not by design on China’s part. As an analogy, the Chinese were merely making hay while the American thug was out on a drunken rampage with his toxic short side-kick, Israel, smashing that latter’s neighbours’ homes.
nil
The US sucks, but China only prospers due to their amazing mind control. The US lost their mind control due to the war and people becoming fazed over the leadership’s competence. China has their great firewall, filtering out the truth of the poor conditions their country is living in. The US used to have television under their control, but with the advents of the internet the censors haven’t been able to keep up. Therefore we learned more and the illusion failed.
China has amazing illusion, which contributes to their strength. The illusion of solidarity, of one solid class rather then the pyramid. This illusion limits creativity and knowledge building, and limits the Chinese to their current knowledge set. Give it a few years, and China will be in the same place the US is – fat, lazy, and stupid. Growth can only be achieved with the illusion of stability, and innovation can only be achieved with the reality of hardship. The cycle continues forever.
rduanewilling
Fantastic scenario emerging. For example: Taiwan and China pretend to be enemies. US sends Taiwan latest weapons for defense against China. Israel (Zionist trade negotiator Mr Straus) arranges sale of Mcdonald Douglas aircraft company to China. China and Taiwan not really enemies after all. (Inscrutable Asian you know) Israel sees USof A waffling on war making and US dollar not dominant in world anymore,provides latest intelligence on US of A to China. Israel becomes world power with lobby control over USofA augmented by military alliance with China. YIKES. read THE AMERICAN CALIPHATE of BIZWOG; The Final World Order. thanks Rduanewilling.com
Frank
Chinese and Taiwanese are never enemies.
Only their politicians are.
Shahan
Good analysis by Frank Ching. To everyone who doesn’t agree, all I have to say is that without US, China’s trade and therefore their GDP would not have grown as it did in the past ten years. That is why if US kept ignoring China like pre-9/11, China would not have become the threat it is now.
But, the way Frank has written the article makes me think that if I was a conspiracy theorist I would have found a new theory about the people/organization behind 9/11 attacks. Anyways, I respect the Chinese as they are one of the most hard working people and have great food… haha
little fred
The contradiction between China and the US has grown sharper and more obvious during the last ten years. All you have to do is google the phrase “war between China and the US.” There are over 21,000,000 entries; a year ago there were “only” 18,000,000.
The latest enntry, “How We Would Fight China,” was published several days ago. This piece is a very serious and thoroughly analysis of how the US will prepare for war with China.
The unwinding of the war against “terrorism,” in Afghanistan and Iraq, is so that the US can concentrate on the threat from China. Obama is committed to refocusing the US military for this new “war.”
John Chan
@little fred, Robert Kaplan is nothing but a warmonger, USSR wanted to compete with the US in world dominance with brutal forces. On the contrary China is quite content to let the US has 1st spot of military might in the world, and China is quite happy to let the US occupying Japan, SKorea as well as Afghanistan. All China wants is that the US not to interfere her internal affairs regarding Taiwan and South China Sea.
Little fred will you and your family be willing to breathe radioactive air for someone that is thousands miles away that has nothing to do with you or because some toys of the bonehead generals are destroyed? If you don’t, then the Americans must ask what is the purpose of the US armed forces, are they to protect the American people or to bring disaster to the American people? If the answer is to protect the American people, then you know Robert Kaplan is a nut case.
Excluding the nuclear exchange, can the Americans bear to watch their SEAL members and crews being captured and paraded? Meanwhile their killed soldiers heighten Chinese patriotism. On top of that how long can USA let their out of control military spending go on in order fulfil Kaplan’s fancy ideas of aggressive actions?
Little fred, have you asked yourself why the US needs to fight another “new war”? Is it because someone like Kaplan told you so?
Davis
Myself totally agree with this author! The US has lost almost a decade dealing with this kind of a bit troublesome enemy, the extremist terrorists!Now it’s high time for it to rethink its global strategic interests! Robert Kaplan is a renowned American scholar with some great published books on Geopolitics.He already foresaw all the possible repercussions of a revisionist rising China for the US & the whole world !
John Chan
Nobody expects the tyrant will leave the stage on his own, it is simply not the American(US)’s way. USA is not in the business of charity, they are in the business of empire building. So please drop the pretence of democracy and human rights stuff. Neither China is expecting to get a free ride; China is trying its best to rise peacefully. Anyhow USA is not the only one knows how to fight. Robert Kaplan is no better than Joseph Goebbels.
shen liang
@John Chan
You are speaking carelessly. The US IS in the business of charity often enough, and China does directly benefit from it. Here, for example, is a 17 page listing of development aid projects being undertaken by the US in China.
http://www.aiddata.org/search/results;jsessionid=848D2B6BD8A23DFE413DE49673D06738?recipients=49&keywordSearch=&donors=52
Many of these are at the level of basic education and other necessities. You should be ashamed of yourself to speak of the US as a “tyrant” when it is doing things that our government is not doing for us. You should be ashamed of our country taking charity and pretending it never does, or that other nations treat our own so badly. You are a sad remnant of the political past.
Observer
@ John Chan – South OF China Sea is NOT China internal affair. South of China Sea or East Sea was not, is not, and will never be part of China. That is a historic fact and no matter what you and your commie comrades are trying to say, you guys won’t change history.
Learn some history lessons before you spew out ignorant statements and make China/Chinese pepole look very bad in front of the international community.
John Chan
@Observer, China’s Maritime Law Enforcement is patrolling all China seas with their new 3000 tons cutters, illegal activities caught by them will be sanctioned. Pretty soon China’s Navy will patrol Indian Ocean to enforce law and order in addition to the US Navy. The spirit of International Laws is “it is yours if you can maintain it.”
bose
@John Chan,
I don’t know what you want to impress people; China is a “peace loving” country? Leave China alone with its internal affairs such as Taiwan and South China Sea? When , how and who in this world accept South China Sea as Chinese’s core interest?
Chinese dare not touch the US at the moment so she proposes to share interest with the US and such it has a free hand to sabotage hysterically smaller neighboring countries.
When Hillary Clinton declared US interest in the South China Sea, Chinese foreign minister got angry and left the room. Just to come back later and threatened Asian countries to accept that China is a big and can decide whatever. Do you think it is hypocrite? one hand China promises peaceful resolution, on the hand carried out unilateral decision in the South China Sea.
john’s conscience
John Cahn
May 29, 2011 at 5:53 am
"@Observer, internet is a place to exercise freedom of speech, bloggers are here to put forward their opinions they think they might helpful to the issues facing mankind; bloggers’ ideas are different wildly due to their backgrounds and life experience. You don’t have to agree with their opinions; if you have better ideas, all you have do is to present them logically, rationally and persuasively.
Chinese bloggers are trying to reach out to the people in the West and its allies, and to make them understand issues from China’s perspective. In order to make our western global villagers to feel the Chinese are approachable"
ha ha ha john chink you are so funny typing posts like the above and then resort to namecalling warmonger blah blah, you do this so many times. either you are a two-faced hypocrite or you dont really care since you postjust for the 10-cents you earn everytime. i wonder what percentage of china's GDP does the 10-cent gang contribute.