World sees through US Indo-Pacific strategy
By: By MO JINGXI
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
World sees through US Indo-Pacific strategy
The US-ASEAN Special Summit is held at Washington on May 12-13. [Photo/Agencies]
FM says Washington's moves arousing vigilance, concerns over regional stability
State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi criticized on Sunday the United States' "Indo-Pacific strategy" that is aimed at containing China, saying that the strategy, which by its nature creates divisions and instigates confrontations, is doomed to fail.
"The strategy is arousing growing vigilance and concerns in the world, especially among Asia-Pacific countries," Wang said when meeting journalists with visiting Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
By crossing out the name of "Asia-Pacific", Wang said the so-called strategy not only wants to wipe away the existing regional cooperation architecture in the Asia-Pacific region, which is operating effectively, but also intends to erase the achievements and the momentum of peaceful development jointly created by regional countries over the past decades.
The world has seen through the intention, Wang said.
From the special summit held earlier this month between the US and the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations to US President Joe Biden's ongoing first Asia trip, the US has explicitly exposed its intention of roping other countries in the region into containing China, experts said.
Wang said that while the US claimed that the so-called strategy is for a "free and open Indo-Pacific" region, yet it is aimed at containing China and using Asia-Pacific countries as "pawns" for the US hegemony.
It is particularly dangerous that the US has torn off its camouflage and played the "Taiwan card" and the "South China Sea card", with the attempt to destabilize the Asia-Pacific region after disrupting other regions, he said.
Wang said that people of this region should sternly warn the US that the outdated Cold War should never happen again in Asia and the turmoil and chaos caused by war that are happening in the world are not allowed in this region.
Wei Ling, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics' School of International Relations, said, "Southeast Asian countries have expressed that they won't take sides and that they object to a 'new Cold War' in the region and disapprove of forming political alliances."
The state councilor also doubted the real intention of the "Indo-Pacific Economic Framework", which is part of the US "Indo-Pacific Strategy" and is expected to be launched by Biden during his trip to Japan.
Wang said that just like other regional countries, China is glad to see initiatives that help to boost regional cooperation but is opposed to attempts to make divides and confrontations.
Whether the economic framework belongs to the former or the later depends on several criteria, he said, and one is that it should promote free trade, but not engage in disguised protectionism.
According to Wang, any regional cooperation initiative should also help resume world economy instead of undermining the stability of industrial chains, should promote openness and cooperation instead of creating geopolitical confrontations.
Those who attempt to isolate China by a framework will in the end isolate themselves. And those who fabricated some rules to exclude China will definitely be abandoned by the development of the times, he said.
Chen Xiaochen, executive deputy director of the Centre for Asia Pacific Studies at East China Normal University in Shanghai, said that the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework is not a free trade agreement, but exclusive and restrictive trade rules.
"As pseudo multilateralism, ... it will not only pose challenges to the region's existing trade order, but also leave a negative impact on regional trade liberalization," he said.
Wang Qingyun contributed to this story.
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Getting bored with the usual fare these days, so thought I would post an article that indicates China's take on what Biden is doing. As my avatar indicates, I seek balance in what's happening, and I do not necessarily support either side of the scale.
Buzz,
I don't know if the US has any leadership that is capable of forming an equitable partnership with any country or leading this one into the future. We have a bunch of elected officials that seem determined to continue to fight endless wars that can never be won as a way to bolster the US economy.
China is absolutely right to warn Biden that they will not tolerate being painted as the next villain on the world stage that must be vanquished. I only hope that Biden (and his handlers) have enough intelligence to avoid starting a trade war (or any other war) that the US will not win.
I was not supportive of the Trans-Pacific Partnership because it seemed to be about moving jobs to poorer nations to exploit their labor force to everyone's detriment except the men who owned the corporations. There were other provisions that I thought were shoddy for the environment and for the consumer. Thankfully, that partnership did not go through. I am confident that whatever is currently being proposed is just as shoddy as the TPP.
It will be interesting to see coverage of our proposed trade agreements from news sources outside the US.
I'm very much in agreement with you on this and other issues as well. I respect and admire common sense.
Arvo Buzz. Will be interesting to see what the new Labor government does here re their point of view on China...
Labor does not go well with either the US or Israel for that fact which is disappointing..and could get very bumpy in both relationships..
I guess we will have to wait and see...though Albanese is flying out today to met up with the US, Japan, India and other countries at a conference..
So it's a case of watch this space...
Yeah, he's going to the QUAD conference, one of America's hegemony organizations meant to try to contain China so it does not overtake the USA. I'm waiting to see what Albanese is going to do concerning China, whether he wants beneficial trade between the two nations to get back on track.
I meant to ask you, when I watched the news of Albanese speaking the sign behind him, which is I believe the name of his party, said LABOR. Is that meant to be an acronym, because don't we who speak genuine English spell it LABOUR?
Evening..lol wondered if you would pick it up..and I had to grit my teeth spelling it like that.. goes against all my instincts..
Apparently goes back a hundred odd years as they were more or less rebelling against British heritage from what I can see... wanted to be seen as a bit of a rebel party...so yeah what ever floats their boat. Looks wrong to me..
As for trade doubt that will change as Labor supported Liberal with its stand towards China re trade, COVID, Uyghur and Taiwan...
Noticed a Chinese warship has been sloshing around off the WA coast for three weeks...hope they don't have to bring along a tug boat like the Russians did...incase they broke down..
I'm not sure the United States has an Asian strategy. Everything the United States is doing in Asia appears to be motivated by domestic politics and domestic economics.