Actions by the People's Republic -- intentional or not -- have created the worst regional environment for China since Tiananmen.
One of the elementary rules of foreign policy is when you are in a hole, stop digging. But judging by their recent behavior, Beijing’s foreign policy mandarins and national security establishment are clearly in violation of this rule. Despite the diplomat heat China has received for its tough stance on territorial disputes in recent months, the Chinese Foreign Ministry apparently seemed to believe that it could strengthen Chinese claims symbolically by issuing a new passport containing a map that claims the disputed maritime areas in the South China Sea and the contested territories along the Sino-Indian border. The reaction was predictable. Southeast Asian countries, particularly Vietnam and the Philippines, protested loudly. India retaliated by promising to stamp visas containing its own map on Chinese passports.
At around the same time as the diplomatic uproar over the new Chinese passport design, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) conducted its first successful landing and take-off operations from its retrofitted aircraft carrier. The televised test might have boosted the Chinese military’s image and self-confidence, but the message this event sent around the region, given China’s hardline position on territorial disputes and its neighbors’ fears of the PLA’s growing military capabilities, cannot be very reassuring.
But that is not the end of the actions taken by China recently that are likely to cost Beijing’s new government dearly. A few days before Japan’s Diet elections on December 16, which are expected to produce a right-wing government with deep antipathy toward Beijing, the Chinese government escalated its challenge to Japan’s territorial claims to the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands by flying an official, albeit unarmed, maritime surveillance plane over the airspace of the disputed islands. As expected, the move incensed Tokyo and can only be expected to bolster the Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) chances and lend more credence to their call for a tougher policy toward China.
Photo Credit: Flickr (Francisco Diez)
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US Created Image
"The Bullies of Beijing: China's Image Problem"? Guess who hass been creating that image? Yes, Imperial Washington's manipulative media mouthpiece. Oh yes, you can also include its CIA internet trolls, blog writers, think-tank writers, CIA professors and lecturers embedded in universities, NGOs funded by USAid, and the average American propagandizing Washington's neocons' BS. Minxin'd better be aware he is also simulataneously being slandered Chinese by these no-bars-hold neocon White guys.
Tsikwa
Government of Communist China is totally SICK
Ric
I notice that the Chinese commenters on The Diplomat seem to be suffering from a curious case of schizophrenia. I am referring in particular to long-time commenters such as John Chan and Liang1a, who post here so often that they're probably being paid to do so.
Notice that on the one hand, they repeatedly mention what a peaceful country China is, how it's never invaded another country in its entire history unlike those greedy, evil Western nations, and how they are merely taking back what is rightfully theirs.
And then, in the same breath, they begin threatening other countries with apocalyptic visions of China's military and economic might, reminding other readers of China's nuclear arsenal, boasting about overhyped weapons such as the DF-21 (which has never been used in an actual combat situation) and threatening to collapse the US economy with the 8 percent of US debt that is in Chinese hands.
A curious case of schizophrenia indeed.
spratibet
none of us need to be intelligent to know who among us are blind-supporters or paid contributors of the BULLY OF ASIA. how can anyone in his right thinking have the impression that CHINA has good intentions? China, the bully, forced its way to the spratly islands and even refused to bring the spratly case to the UN. Are we blind or pretending to be blind about TIBET? these are only some of the many aggressions of THE BULLY. open our eyes, please….
dave
LMFAO the comment sections is the best, the funiest is the chinese posters, you guys are hillarious!!, especially on the Russian shoot the chinese comment, the dead silence of the chinese posters are sooooo funny.!!!
Observer
@ dave,
Yes very hilarious indeed. See how they would not dare to say anything about Russia slaughtered chinese in 1858 and took all the vast land from china in 1858 and 1860. See how they (china and chinese posters in this forum or anywhere else in the world) would not dare to mention how Russian Navy shot to death not one, not two, but several chines poachers just a few months ago.
See how no mention of "historic evidence" or "undisputed territories" or "teach them a lesson" or "we are going to nuke them" and all the big talk as usual from chinese posters. How pathetic and sad.
Perfect example of bully. Acting touch on smaller neighbors but so scared and still losing face and suffering shame and humiliation from other bigger bullies.
Joey
I think it is naive and simple for scholars and commentators that the root of the disputes and China's "aggressive" behaviors is China "not conducting multilateral talks" or "not abiding international law".
The cause of China's behavior and the souring of Sino-Japanese relationship and Sino-ASEAN relationships are historical. The international community must realize that in order to eliminate mistrust, all nations must face up to its political past.
Japan must acknowledge and apologise for its imperialism and the brutal consequences it had caused in the past, and one way it can show such sincerity is to relinquish all territory that they have occupied from Unequal treaties and World War II, which includes the Diaoyu Islands.
If ASEAN really wish for a peaceful solutions to the territorial dispute, this must be, ASEAN nations must acknowledge China's historical maritime territory as part of their negotiations, as no nation have contested China's claim until in the last two decades.
The international community must take historical perspective and resolve historical issues when it comes to China and its neighbour, to contain China through force and "international law" will only fan extreme nationalistic sentiments in China, making China persuing a more aggressive policies along with its growing power.
Cyrus
@Joey
You seem to forget that those islet and shoals are not Chinese territory because long before the Chinese traverse those waters our ancestors the Austronesian or Malay or Indios have been fishing and traversing those waters already. Take note, that before Legazpi came and pacified the Philippines naming it Las Islas de Filipinas it was ruled by a relative of the Sultanate of Brunei and that Manila was a bustling Sultanate City trading with Arabs, Indians and Chinese.
Least you forget the Philippines never claim the entire sea it is just claiming its EEZ and the Bajo de Masinloc have been shown in Spanish Maps and the Spaniards have maintained Suzerainty of those shoals after the Sultanate of Manila and Tondo has fallen. Ergo, Suzerainty and control of the Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc in Spanish have continued to this day, uninterrupted by time.
Juan
Hooo! You scare us so much!
ting_m_1999
@ACT (January 6, 2013 at 1:04 pm): Since you acknowledge Tibet, etc are Chinese territories, there is no such thing as colonization, popular and cultural suppression to speak of. All those accusations are simply fabricated and need not be refuted. One of you mentioned japan and Russia bullying China. Tell him(Observer) he is wrong. If you do see this and that, it is because you refuse to see.
(January 7, 2013 at 11:07): That Chinese expansion into territories that were originally held by its tributaries is just and proper, because it is the law at that time and is not any imposed foreign law. Modern law is effective on the day it is enacted, not thousands of years ago. Understand! 1.sovereignty based not on inheritance but by taking over from another government is an acceptable grounds for a case in international law.
2. Claims of sovereignty based upon first discovery are the best evidence of ownership according to international law.
3. Another sovereign begins to exercise continuous and actual sovereignty (Japan) by superior force, and the original discoverer (Imperial China) reserve the right to contest this claim. The right of the discoverer is respected. That is how so many countries in Africa regained their independence from the colonial European countries. Understand!
(January 8, 2013 at 8:11 am): just because the U.S has 900 bases around the world does mean it's out to enslave anyone; you can also make some creative excuse ( like Hitler’s for the Jews) for U.S genocide of Native Americans similar to the reason for this forward-deployment was for collective defense and to make sure that no one would ever attack the U.S again. For the same reason USA can conquer any country too. This is a just a soothing excuse, just like all those pretenses USA used to wage murderous wars( such as Vietnam war) around the world since WWII, to enslave others making sure they will not rebel against USA demands. It is ridiculous for you to mention Tibet ,etc again since you acknowledged that they belong to China. The news of China expanding as reported in USA, Japan and Philippine are just like all those China bashing news in those countries. Totally ignorable and baseless. You hypocritically condemn your ancestors for your expansion since you kept the loot. Chinese expansion was established by the Mongols and the Qings who are not the Chinese Hans people. These Mongols and Qings later identified themselves as Chinese and passed on their territory as China. Understand Chinese history please! In other words, the original Chinese doesn’t expand their territories. If America wants to be part of China under China administration, China is very honored and cannot be excused of wrongfully expanding its territory. Accusing PRC of cultural genocide, suppression and colonization can only come from those who wants to cover their own similar acts. USA is killing Arabs every day ( slow genocide). China doesn’t do that. USA suppresses by locking Arabs up without trial indefinitely. China doesn’t do that. USA colonized by stationing in foreign countries by force. China doesn’t do that. The Native American culture is suppressed. China established universities in Tibet, Xinjiang and Mongolia to preserve and develop local cultures. There is no Native American or Alaskan university. All treaties with the Native American were not honored. If Chinese claim to the islands is not sufficient what make you think that the other’s claim is valid and not warped? For you to say China never owned in the first place, doesn’t mean China doesn’t own the island and other own it. .
SC Lai
@Errol,now a days close proximity doesn’t count.otherwise Diaoyu should un-doubtfully go back to China since it is much closer to Chinese Taiwan..BTW,China’s claims to Huangyuan was based on 1st nation to claim n was included in d official maps of Yuan,Ming,Qing dynasties,then continued to Republic of China n PRC as Chinese territory . Where was Phulippines’ objection then?
Cyrus
Show me your maps then because we have Spanish Maps showing those shoals as part of Spanish Suzerainty of the Philippines. Also per historical accounts of the Spaniards those shoals have been fishing grounds for generations of Filipinos.
SC Lai
If patrolling and prepare to defense one's territorial integrity is bullying,then what US and Some Western nations together with Japan did and still doing must be Acts Of Satan.US unilaterally let Japan administer Chinese Diaoyu ;Philippines removed Chinese marker on Huangyuan islet,so far, has China fired a single shot?
ACT
@SC Lai
except that it's not your territory; the 1928 Island of Palmas case threw out the use of ancient history, previous discovery, and government lineage when deciding the sovereignty of a particular set of disputed islands; this encompasses the entirety of the PRC's claims to the Senkakus, the Spratly Isles and the Parcel Islands. No wonder the PRC is beefing up its paramilitary patrols when it can't even take the cases to the ICJ.
SC Lai
Chinese's claim from both sides of the Taiwan Strait not only based on ancient History and previous discovery,it was also included in the constitution of both Republic of China and PRC and official maps of China ,the Diaoyu was administered by Yulan district of province of Taiwan before Japan forced China to relinquish it as a reparation after the China lost the war,in 1895.Same goes for the Huangyuan ,neighboring Philippines,they were all under China's on going administration.As for IOC,why would China refer the case to IOC as she deems these island/ islets as theirs.Anyway,China has always been maintaining that bi-lateral negotiations is the best way to settle the disputes but Japan is saying "no dispute",if no dispute,how to negotiate?1 question for you,do you think Israel occupation of Golan Height proper and legal?
Errol
The rocks you call 'Huangyan Island' were never under the control of China. As far as the Chinese Empire was concerned, they were only landmarks. China never exercised power over rocks where even grass can't grow. As those rocks were closer to Luzon, our ancestors fished those waters and then the Spanish colonial government exercised its duties over the area for centuries. Did we hear a peep from the north? NADA. It was only recently that China has begun coveting the whole SCS.
Cyrus
China never exercised control of Bajo de Masinloc it has been under the Sultan of Manila and Tondo and passed on to Spanish Suzerainty. If Chinese were really claiming it as its own why not challenge the Spanish Armada in the Philippines of Chinese Control.
Observer
@ Anon and ting and other chinese posters,
See the article's title? It is "The Bullies of Beijing: China's Image Problem". Learn how to debate ON TOPIC, ok?
Before you whine, go ahead and answer my previous questions. Two of them were "So by using your logic, Italy (Rome Empire) can reclaim the whole Europe and Northern Africa? Iran (Persian Empire) can reclaim most of Middle East? YES or NO.
Still nothing about Mongolia and Manchuria take back china as whole, Japan and Britain take back china as parts, and Vietnam takes back southern china by using the same logic as yours? YES or NO."
Why so silent? What is the matter? We won't mistreat you like the Russians and Japanese did with your ancestors (to the readers, see my links and stories above). Don't be so scare and kowtow so low and so long. LOL.
Anon
@Observer No one answers you because it could be all the "LOL" "RLMAO", etc. "Don't be so scare and kowtow so low and so long", etc…seriously what kind of language do you use and where were you educated? I think if you can't engaged in civilized discourse, there isn't even any point.
Observer
@ Anon,
Just as I thought, still nothing, nada, zip, from you and other chinese posters. Still nothing about how Russia slaughtered chinese and took over 600 thousands square kilometers of land from china.
All of the hot air and so much yellow and cowardice. So much shame and humiliation. Still too scare to say or do anything.