Sinophobic? | No, I Just Don’t Trust Them.
Every once in a while I get a comment from a reader. These are terrific because my opinions do indeed change as based on new facts, clarifications or even when I’m pointed to ‘real’ facts and not, perhaps, an over-reliance on faulty sources or assumptions. Hey - I’m human and I’m not an economist! I merely read and point to credible sources!
SO; it is a shame when a visitor to my blog makes an ‘anonymous’ comment that delivers criticism (awesome) but wrapped in name calling (:-( It makes me want to address. So here goes!
The comment (below) referred to my post: ‘China’s Imminent Implosion | Upside for U.S. or Disaster?‘
The comment:
“omgz teh chineze r coming
Drivel from start to finish. However you want to dress up a world-affecting recession culminating in an oil or fiscal shock, it’s lipstick on a pig as far as any sane economist is concerned. Your sinophobia is transparent, and it’s clouding your judgement.”
So, as an attempt to turn into ’snide’ into ‘pleasant’ …
I don’t think I’m a ‘Sinophobic’. I just don’t trust them and history and current events might add to the sense that the Chinese leadership don’t deserve our trust at the moment.
Reasons? (not in order of importance)
- China is building up its military forces at a stunning rate. It is designing weapons specifically to address weaknesses in U.S., Taiwanese and Japanese naval deployments in the region - including missile systems specifically designed to destroy aircraft carrier groups.
- China is blatantly ignoring United Nations sanctions applied on Iran to encourage it to open up and create transparency in its nuclear ambitions. Chinese weapons sales to Iran continue despite global criticism.
- China builds oil pacts with leading anti-U.S. oil producers - Iran and Venezuela.
- Chinese cyber-warfare is a very real and credible threat against the United Nations and the West. Chinese state-managed hackers are probing the U.S. military and industrial infrastructure for weaknesses and intelligence.
- China is manipulating the Chinese currency to keep their exports to the United States well below the competitive edge of U.S. manufacturing abilities. China is distorting world trade agreements - abusing the openness of the U.S. economy whilst blocking the legitimate competition of U.S. corporations inside China.
- China’s track record on human rights is shocking and persistent. Historically China’s genocide in the 20th century continues into this century. Treatment of political prisoners in Tibet makes ‘Gitmo’ look like a Sunday school. China’s acceptance of religious freedoms inside China is - wanting - at the very least and inhumane.
So, in conclusion, am I sinophobic? No. I just don’t trust the Chinese government, their history, their ambitions, their slight of hand, and diplomatic double-talk. Is that fair enough?
Your feedback and opinions are most wanted! Email addresses optional but pleasant!
Posted on July 3rd, 2007 under China, Cyber-Warfare, Iran, Tibet, Venezuela, oil • 
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July 4th, 2007 at 5:55 pm
Well, if it comes to that, nor do the Chinese ‘trust’ you! It’s odd that China should develop weapons systems that do not target your weaknesses but play to your strengths. Imagine that! In any other military, such a strategic bungle would be classed as incompetence. Yet apparently the Chinese are expected to ‘play to your strengths’, or else it’s a sign of malign intent?
Good grief.
If your concern with China REALLY stemmed from an empathetic understanding of her history, you would understand the Chinese leadership’s touchiness when it comes to domination by foreign powers (a relatively recent event in their history). Taiwan is a case in point. Always the nagging feeling behind the politburo’s thinking is that, despite the One China rhetoric, a world power like the US might revive a nightmare period of imperialist domination if given half a chance - by encouraging an independent Taiwan aligned with Japan. (They won’t stand for it. The Japanese colonization of Taiwan still stings.)
Can you blame them for preparing for a secessionist Taiwan - and, in arming themselves - hope to deter US meddling in affairs they regard as purely internal? To think that China might even threaten US interests beyond the Taiwan Straits is a laugh. You at once overstate her power projection capabilities while understating her prime strategic aims: economic growth, internal stability, and territorial integrity. As it stands, she couldn’t afford to fight a hegemonic war even if she wanted to. One doubts that the Chinese are keen to shoot themselves in the foot.
Further, you underestimate the Chinese understanding of the regional security calculus. They do not want a nuclear Japan. If push comes to shove, and Japan feels sufficiently threatened; they will rearm. It is a scenario the Chinese prefer not to encourage (an American-Japanese axis on their eastern flank is perturbing even without the Taiwan question - but especially with the Taiwan question). So: this bollix about Chinese military heft is just alarmist flatulence. China will not seriously challenge American military superiority for the next 20-30 years, but she can make it _costly_ for the US over Taiwan. And that strategic deterrence may be enough.
As for the other points you raise, China jockeying for influence in alternative energy markets - don’t be naive. Do you expect them to NOT create an advantageous market for themselves where possible (i.e., where American influence is weak)? As previously mentioned, they are certainly not comfortable allowing their energy sources to be interdictable at will by Americans (or anyone else). It is hardly a surprise then that they have sought to safeguard alternate sources where possible (if this necessitates buttering up to regimes unfriendly to America, so be it). For them, it is a matter of national security. A perspective from which *you* should not find difficult to discern her geopolitical motivations.
At the end of the day, China would prefer peaceful growth AND engagement with the US. The less distractions the better. But hedging her bets and preparing for risks and the risk of a conflagration over Taiwan is only natural. If you want China to stop selling weapons to Iran, perhaps you should offer a quid pro quo and stop arming Taiwan, which is arguably the greater affront in terms of sovereignty given the official US stance on One China. Eminently reasonable, yes?
See how easy it is NOT to look at it from another country’s perspective? You accumulate so many blind spots.
Finally, your link to a senatorial website arguing - in strong protectionist flavours - for a change to Chinese monetary policy is just ridiculous. To think that it is citable evidence for your Sinophobia is just absurd. First, what China’s central bank does is a matter of internal prerogative, subject perhaps to negotiations that address the concerns of her largest trade partners (and the emphasis is on _her_ perogative). Who in five oaks are you to tell them what monetary policy they have to follow? You don’t find them telling the Feds how to set the interest rate. So there. (As an aside, the Mises blog has more on Schumer’s hypocritical brainfarts - see http://blog.mises.org/archives/004402.asp)
So: a nebulous ’suspicion’ of Chinese motives that ignores her history, her motivations, the situational logic of her geopolitical concerns, her strategic outlook, the psychology of her leaders and people, and why she might be historically leery of powers that have what she perceives to be ‘imperial’ reach - is just the lazy Sinophobe’s way out. In sum, credulous AND uncritical cherrypicking of a few talking points as ‘evidence’ for said phobia just doesn’t cut it.
But that’s just me.
[opinionist edit 7/5 : 7:20am | sorry for delay. 7/4 celebrations! thanks for the effort of a decent response. Truly, RB p.s. perhaps an email address? anon. means unsure of ur convictions? :-)]