By Yang Hengjun
Chinese people need to reflect on why their words and actions are so frightening to other countries.
The anti-China riots in Vietnam left at least one Chinese dead and hundreds injured. Local Chinese have been afraid to speak Chinese in Vietnam.
Countries with the same system and ideology are not definitely going to be China’s friends. Russia in the north and Vietnam in the south were once “comrades and brothers,” but they have also been historically unfriendly towards China, which is something to keep in mind…
In fact, it is almost impossible for China to be a hegemon in the international arena. China’s values and philosophy are not convincing to or admired by others, and China has few real allies. Plus, China is beset by a lot of domestic problems. Forget hegemony—though it seems powerful, China is much weaker than it seems, like a giant with feet of clay. However, the impression we have given to the international community is that China is a “tyrant,” and many neighboring countries are beginning to fear and hate China. Over the years, in my travels in China and abroad, I’ve experienced this deeply.
The United States claims it is “rebalancing to Asia,” but it’s been slow to act on this. Why? Because it doesn’t have to—America is waiting for its opportunity! It is waiting for China to mess things up for itself. When China’s relations with neighboring countries have deteriorated one by one, when the Asian countries are beginning to “fear” China, then even if America didn’t want to “rebalance to Asia” the other countries would ask it to return. We should think about this: In a few short years, many Asian countries have come to believe that China is more “hegemonistic” and more frightening than the U.S. We can really escape all responsibility for this?
Read the full story at The Diplomat