CHINA-U.S.: Not Enemies, Just ‘Friends with Differences’
By Wendy Wilson
WASHINGTON, Feb 19 — U.S. President George W Bush says his administration will engage China with "patience and principle and consistency" — but he has a lot of fence-mending to do to ensure the two countries are not enemies but just "friends with differences".
This was the term Dr Shixiong Ni, dean of the School of International Relations at Fudan University, China and director of its Centre for American Studies, used to describe Washington and Beijing, which often have testy ties.
"Great problems between two big countries with differences is normal," Ni told a seminar on U.S.-China ties sponsored by the Japan-based Sasakawa Peace Foundation here.
"Without problems, there is no progress. Overcoming problems makes progress."
But while Ni says U.S.-China ties are "manageable" despite recent irritants, he and other experts at the discussion concede it is not easy for the two countries to go beyond differences which he said used to be called the "Six T's": Theft of missile technology, theatre missile defense, trade problems, Tibet, Taiwan, and Tiananmen Square.
These highly contentious issues engendered a fundamental misunderstanding and mistrust of each other, what Banning Garrett of the U.S.-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies here calls a "strategic mistrust" between the U.S. and China.
The diminished level of dialogue in the past decade between the two has only exacerbated those feelings.
Ni says the new U.S. administration has a new chance to nurture ties, starting with a phone call by Bush to Chinese President Jiang Zemin. "To establish a good working relationship, Bush should initiate a call to Jiang as soon as possible — he has called 10 other heads of state," Ni added.
Likewise, he said that the Chinese are wary about comments by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell that China is a competitor and may become a potential regional adversary, but not an inevitable enemy.
"The good news is that China is not regarded as an enemy. The not so good news is the tendency to downgrade strategic goals from partnership to competitor or adversary," Ni explained.
He also says the Bush administration's determination to pursue the National Missile Defense (NMD) scheme, in a manner more far-reaching than planned by the Clinton government, is "very worrisome" to Beijing.
The controversial missile defence system will entail the setting up of interceptor missiles in different areas of the globe to protect U.S. forces and its allies against limited missile attacks, possibly from rogue nations.
Russia and China have been leading criticism against the plan, saying among others that it would trigger a new arms race.
Garrett agrees the NMD plan does not at all reassure the Chinese: "From the Chinese perspective, the U.S. has a unipolar world in mind — a military budget equal to the rest of the world's and now we want to add on top of that NMD to be totally invulnerable."
While American officials see NMD as a way to make the world safer, he said "we need to reassure the Chinese about what its goals and architecture are."
"If we try to hold talks and try to solve the problems, that will be a much bigger step. That alone turns a danger into an opportunity," Garrett added. "The Chinese may become convinced that our intentions are sincere, that our missiles are not aimed at them."
Differences over NMD, as with other issues, are not helped by what American experts, reacting to Ni's remarks, called Washington and Beijing's lack of understanding of each other.
"The (American and Chinese) leaders...have not been strategic, but pragmatic," observed Garrett. "These leaders were trying to solve problems, but did nothing to create a relationship (upon which) those problems could either be avoided or dealt with effectively and earlier."
"There is not a strategic vision on either side," Garrett said, so that irritants have become potentially big problems.
For instance, he says it was easy under an atmosphere of mistrust for the Chinese to misinterpret American actions — such as the bombing of Beijing's embassy in Kosovo in or the peacetime dropping of 500 troops into Kazakhstan — as examples of the "unipolar world mind (of the) totally hegemonic U.S."
For its part, America's impression of China's intentions include the belief that "rising Chinese power is going to bully Taiwan and push us (the U.S.) out of Asia."
Ni also said the Taiwan issue and Washington's armed sales to it remain a touchy issue. The 'one China' policy "is the cornerstone of our relationship (as well as) the most explosive issue in our relationship."
Right now, Ni says, U.S. policy on Taiwan and its decision on armed sales to the island China considers a renegade province depends on Beijing's behaviour, such as deploying missiles against it.
"But this is not quite fair. It should depend as much on Chinese behaviour as U.S. behaviour. If the U.S. takes cautious steps, reduces its arms sales to Taiwan, I believe the Chinese will reciprocate with positive acts as well," Ni explained.
Stapleton Roy, former U.S. envoy to China, says the scenario of a Chinese attack actually makes little sense.
He says that Taiwan investment in the mainland is close to 45 billion U.S. dollars, and that a third of international calls from Taiwan go to mainland China, or half a million calls daily. China has long-term reporters in Taiwan, and regular visitors are supposed to start this summer.
These significant changes have not been recognised in the United States, Roy observed, but "you can't have an armed confrontation when you have that kind of investment."
Ni says it is high time China and the U.S. set up a clear future objective. "Why can't we be friends with differences or partners in competition? A healthy and stable relationship with cooperation (is) a long-term goal. It is more conducive to peace and stability in the world," he added.
Ni outlined steps Beijing and Washington can take to improve their relations, such as its leaders being "not only problem-solving oriented, but strategically oriented", both seeking more common ground and increasing mutual contacts and dialogue. (IPS/2001)
