By Erin Zimmerman
By provoking nationalist sentiment, China’s neighbors are preventing its assimilation.
It is difficult to look at a newspaper or get on the Internet without seeing another analysis or op-ed about the rise of China. These pieces often range from cautionary tales to alarmist declarations of inevitable Chinese aggression. Though time will tell, the majority reinforce the belief that a more powerful China will be belligerent and upset the current status quo. Paradoxically, China is being led down this very path by regional actors who insist on publicly labeling China as a regional antagonist, creating an environment of suspicion and distrust, and using rhetoric that marginalizes China’s growing economic and political power.
Chinese economic growth has coincided with a relative expansion of its influence across Asia. While there are a myriad of arguments as to how the world should respond to the “rise of China,” by and large these arguments (at least in the eyes of Beijing) recall a Cold-War era mentality of “containment.” Stakeholders in Asia have decided to view China as an almost inevitable threat, and in doing so have created a political environment hostile to any type of “rise” at all. Given China’s almost assured development, and the subsequent expansion of its sphere of influence, this mentality means that conflict is almost guaranteed.
Evidence of this negative dynamic can be found in many of the region’s forums. Instead of accommodating China’s emergence by welcoming its attempts at integration (i.e. attendance at regional forums such as the ASEAN Defense Minister Meeting (ADMM) and the Shangri-La Dialogue), many Asian actors have used these forums as opportunities for derision and criticism. For instance, at the most recent Shangri-La Dialogue, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe harshly criticized Chinese actions in the South China Sea. He then outlined Japanese plans to become a “proactive contributor to peace,” emphasizing that his country enjoyed the support of ASEAN leaders, the U.S., India, Australia, the U.K. and France in doing so. This helped create a “China-versus-everyone else” dichotomy at the dialogue, and sidelined any constructive discussions that could have potentially taken place.
Read the full story at The Diplomat
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