Sharing the Playground

The dragon has awakened, but it hasn’t turned out to be the ferocious creature that most feared. Once China opened its doors to the west and international markets, it has made a credible attempt to engage its neighbors through goodwill and to become a responsible power. Membership in the UN and WTO has likewise shown China capable of being a team player. China’s notion of its superiority is accompanied by the obligation to set a moral standard for the rest of the world- ironic, since corruption is rampant and transparency is not its strong suit. Nevertheless, China recognizes that the only way to gain the stature it longs for is through reunification of the region. On the western front, SCO strengthens China’s ties with Russia and its former states, and to the south ASEAN continues to forge a strong trade relationship with China. Africa and Australia are eager to supply China with the necessary raw materials to stoke the fires of economic reforms and for the US, China has provided primarily a cheap labor pool. So, with China’s hot economy and everyone getting a piece of the pie where does that put the US? Hopefully, the US welcomes the development between China and its neighbors since maintaining stability keeps the economy in line. With China underwriting a considerable chunk of our national debt, the US needs the Chinese economy to retain that stability. Anything that could jeopardize Chinese markets, spells trouble for everyone especially the US. The spreading roots of globalization firmly anchor our economic destinies as nations grow more interdependent. The US is so heavily invested and overextended in the Mideast at this point, that growing tensions elsewhere, would likely find us coming up short in our response. The US would do well to support even handed partnerships that mutually benefit all parties involved. In terms of its foreign policy with China’s new best friends, the US should continue to invest in these countries and strengthen its own trade agreements with them. The continued threat of terrorism world wide calls for all hands on deck to conquer this menace, so the stronger the alliances, the greater likelihood of a united front. The US does not want to stand alone either if faced with escalating tensions between China and Taiwan. Support from Asian neighbors would signal to China that although trade relationships are welcomed and valued, bullying its territorial possessions is totally unacceptable. Our international reputation has been battered of late and we too need to be setting the moral benchmarks.