After news reports on China's construction of aircraft carrier simmered by the world media and criticized by a series of "powerful" public opinions and commentaries for a period of time, China's State Council Information Office issued a "White Paper on China's Peaceful Development" again after a break of six years.
Maintaining World Peace
For the first time, in this White Paper, China acknowledges that China has now become a strong power. But at the same time, China also assertively says that the peaceful emergence of China will break the pattern of the rise of great nation's theory that comes with the perception that "when a country becomes strong, it will bound to become a hegemony." This White Paper has also clearly pointed out the logic of China's development and its relationship with the international community. In other words, it is China's intention that through maintaining world peace, China wants to develop its own country; and at the same time, through developing its own nation, China wants to maintain world peace. During this particular period of time when the US supremacy as a hegemony is going through a declining process, and when China's State Council Information Office chose to release this White Paper on the eve of the tenth memorial service of the 11 September terrorist attack tragedy in the United States, the release of this White Paper by the Chinese authority in such a high profiled manner has indeed carried with it two significant meanings to the outside world. The first meaning or purpose is that China wants to stress that the development of China is through peaceful emergency. This means that even the development of China's navy and the navy navigation in the ocean become powerful, China will not move away from its peaceful rise track. The second purpose is that the Beijing authority wants to emphasize the fact that China has no intention to take over the super power role of the United States and become another hegemony in the world. In other words, China is unwilling to become target of attack by the world community.
Of course, China's public declaration that it will insist on carrying out its independent and self-rule peaceful rise foreign affairs policy has come with the intention to tell the world community that China will not call upon other countries to form an ally partnership; and that China will not become a world super power and as such there is no need for other countries to worry about the "China threat theory". This is precisely the original intention of China's White Paper. However, it is important for us to understand that any White Paper issued by a nation is but a promise on paper only. We must gauge if this White Paper of China will let the outsider world, especially China's neighbouring countries feel that a strong China is not a threat to them but an opportunity?
In this White Paper, China's State Council Information Office has listed down six major national core interests China must resolutely safeguard. These core interests have included the safeguard of China's national sovereignty, national security, wholesome territorial integrity and national territorial reunification. It has also included the safeguarding of China's Constitution in order to ensure the overall stability in China's social order and China's national political systems; as well as the provision of basic guarantee for sustainable economic growth and development.
National Integrity and Sovereignty
Nevertheless, if we take a closer look at reality in the present day situation in China and compared them with have been highlighted in China's White Paper, we can indeed raise some questions. First of all, from international perspective, if a big country such as China cannot fulfill the above six points as stated in its White Paper, it will become quite obvious that this country cannot call itself a "superpower." Then, certainly, people will also ask: How can China resolve the Taiwan cross-straits issue? How can China maintain the wholesome of its national integrity and sovereignty vis-a-vis cross straits ties? As for Taiwan, does it mean that as long as Taiwan's sector does not forcefully push ahead its Taiwan Independent agenda, Beijing will forever insist to adhere to its peaceful reunification policy; and that Beijing will never resort of using force to attain its unification goal as promised? Moreover, will Beijing refrain from setting a time table to attain its unification goal on Taiwan?
Regional Tension and Military Expansion
As for China's claim on the Diaoyutai Islands which, in fact, are under the control of Japan; and as for China's claim on some of islands in the South China Sea which in fact are actually occupied by Vietnam and other countries, it is good for other countries to know precisely the ultimate ways and means in which China will want to take them back and claim them as part of its territory. If Beijing does not process clear statement on these issues and if Beijing cannot provide possible and workable measures to resolve these conflicting sovereignty issues, then the Chinese authority can create doubt to both its domestic and overseas audience. People at home will then say that the Beijing regime is incompetence for it cannot even provide concrete assurance to protect China's national unity and China's sovereignty and integrity. People in China will ask the question of why China should make self-declaration that it is a "strong country" then?
However, the domestic and international public opinions, especially the public opinions coming from China's nearby countries will hold suspicion and question if China's military power development is targeted at the countries surrounding China in order to resolve the territorial and boundary disputes with them? In the end, the countries surrounding China cannot help but will continue to pull the United States into this region as their protective umbrella. In the end, regional tension and even military expansion in this part of the world cannot be avoided. And the so-called peaceful emergence of China will remain an empty slogan coming from China.
Fight for Basic Human Rights
As the saying goes, diplomacy is a continuation of internal affairs. Yet from China's perspective, what China has often overlooked is the promotion of the "China threat theory" by other countries. If this China threat theory is only a strategic measure used by the big powers in the world to hit at China, we do not think the people in China will take it seriously. They may even be offended by such a statement or theory. But to some of the overseas Chinese community, there is a market for this "China threat theory" and the main reason leading to this is in fact caused by some problems triggered by China's internal happenings, For example, to the overseas Chinese community, China's domestic issues relating to Chinese activists' fight for basic human rights; the issues relating to the "Tiananmen Mothers"; the appeal by parents of babies suffered from kidney stone sickness; and the protest of civilians against the forceful relocation and dismantling of their homes by the local authorities; etc, are but the Chinese people's valid appeal to the authorities of their basic rights as citizens according to the provision provided under the Chinese Constitution.
However, all these appeals or protests by the people in China have instead been treated by the authorities in power in an unconstitutional spirit. In this regard, it is quite natural for people to ask: "If the Chinese Government can treat its own citizens in such a manner, how can other countries expect China to treat other countries well?" People overseas will also ask: "If China is a country governed by rule of laws, what is the basic of its promise to the people then?" Quite simply, if the people in China do not trust their own government and if the people in China have no faith in the fairness of their public authority, then how can the Chinese people overseas believe in Beijing's peaceful rise promise then?
Country's Political Systems
As such, if China wants to fulfill its peaceful development promise and allow others to believe it also, China must first of all give peace to its own people. If China wants to uphold its Constitution and to ensure the establishment of the country's political systems is in place, then China must first ensure that the rights and privileges granted to all the people in China as constitutional rights be given to them as provided under the Chinese Constitution.
It is only when a big country such as China which has a population of 1.3 billion can process sufficient peace and rule of laws within the nation; and it is only when the people in this big country can have basic human rights and freedom as protected under the Chinese Constitution that this big country can have the qualification and be eligible to convince the world that after China becomes a strong power, Chins will not seek to dominate the world as a hegemony as stated in its recent White Paper on Peaceful Development.
Maintaining World Peace
For the first time, in this White Paper, China acknowledges that China has now become a strong power. But at the same time, China also assertively says that the peaceful emergence of China will break the pattern of the rise of great nation's theory that comes with the perception that "when a country becomes strong, it will bound to become a hegemony." This White Paper has also clearly pointed out the logic of China's development and its relationship with the international community. In other words, it is China's intention that through maintaining world peace, China wants to develop its own country; and at the same time, through developing its own nation, China wants to maintain world peace. During this particular period of time when the US supremacy as a hegemony is going through a declining process, and when China's State Council Information Office chose to release this White Paper on the eve of the tenth memorial service of the 11 September terrorist attack tragedy in the United States, the release of this White Paper by the Chinese authority in such a high profiled manner has indeed carried with it two significant meanings to the outside world. The first meaning or purpose is that China wants to stress that the development of China is through peaceful emergency. This means that even the development of China's navy and the navy navigation in the ocean become powerful, China will not move away from its peaceful rise track. The second purpose is that the Beijing authority wants to emphasize the fact that China has no intention to take over the super power role of the United States and become another hegemony in the world. In other words, China is unwilling to become target of attack by the world community.
Of course, China's public declaration that it will insist on carrying out its independent and self-rule peaceful rise foreign affairs policy has come with the intention to tell the world community that China will not call upon other countries to form an ally partnership; and that China will not become a world super power and as such there is no need for other countries to worry about the "China threat theory". This is precisely the original intention of China's White Paper. However, it is important for us to understand that any White Paper issued by a nation is but a promise on paper only. We must gauge if this White Paper of China will let the outsider world, especially China's neighbouring countries feel that a strong China is not a threat to them but an opportunity?
In this White Paper, China's State Council Information Office has listed down six major national core interests China must resolutely safeguard. These core interests have included the safeguard of China's national sovereignty, national security, wholesome territorial integrity and national territorial reunification. It has also included the safeguarding of China's Constitution in order to ensure the overall stability in China's social order and China's national political systems; as well as the provision of basic guarantee for sustainable economic growth and development.
National Integrity and Sovereignty
Nevertheless, if we take a closer look at reality in the present day situation in China and compared them with have been highlighted in China's White Paper, we can indeed raise some questions. First of all, from international perspective, if a big country such as China cannot fulfill the above six points as stated in its White Paper, it will become quite obvious that this country cannot call itself a "superpower." Then, certainly, people will also ask: How can China resolve the Taiwan cross-straits issue? How can China maintain the wholesome of its national integrity and sovereignty vis-a-vis cross straits ties? As for Taiwan, does it mean that as long as Taiwan's sector does not forcefully push ahead its Taiwan Independent agenda, Beijing will forever insist to adhere to its peaceful reunification policy; and that Beijing will never resort of using force to attain its unification goal as promised? Moreover, will Beijing refrain from setting a time table to attain its unification goal on Taiwan?
Regional Tension and Military Expansion
As for China's claim on the Diaoyutai Islands which, in fact, are under the control of Japan; and as for China's claim on some of islands in the South China Sea which in fact are actually occupied by Vietnam and other countries, it is good for other countries to know precisely the ultimate ways and means in which China will want to take them back and claim them as part of its territory. If Beijing does not process clear statement on these issues and if Beijing cannot provide possible and workable measures to resolve these conflicting sovereignty issues, then the Chinese authority can create doubt to both its domestic and overseas audience. People at home will then say that the Beijing regime is incompetence for it cannot even provide concrete assurance to protect China's national unity and China's sovereignty and integrity. People in China will ask the question of why China should make self-declaration that it is a "strong country" then?
However, the domestic and international public opinions, especially the public opinions coming from China's nearby countries will hold suspicion and question if China's military power development is targeted at the countries surrounding China in order to resolve the territorial and boundary disputes with them? In the end, the countries surrounding China cannot help but will continue to pull the United States into this region as their protective umbrella. In the end, regional tension and even military expansion in this part of the world cannot be avoided. And the so-called peaceful emergence of China will remain an empty slogan coming from China.
Fight for Basic Human Rights
As the saying goes, diplomacy is a continuation of internal affairs. Yet from China's perspective, what China has often overlooked is the promotion of the "China threat theory" by other countries. If this China threat theory is only a strategic measure used by the big powers in the world to hit at China, we do not think the people in China will take it seriously. They may even be offended by such a statement or theory. But to some of the overseas Chinese community, there is a market for this "China threat theory" and the main reason leading to this is in fact caused by some problems triggered by China's internal happenings, For example, to the overseas Chinese community, China's domestic issues relating to Chinese activists' fight for basic human rights; the issues relating to the "Tiananmen Mothers"; the appeal by parents of babies suffered from kidney stone sickness; and the protest of civilians against the forceful relocation and dismantling of their homes by the local authorities; etc, are but the Chinese people's valid appeal to the authorities of their basic rights as citizens according to the provision provided under the Chinese Constitution.
However, all these appeals or protests by the people in China have instead been treated by the authorities in power in an unconstitutional spirit. In this regard, it is quite natural for people to ask: "If the Chinese Government can treat its own citizens in such a manner, how can other countries expect China to treat other countries well?" People overseas will also ask: "If China is a country governed by rule of laws, what is the basic of its promise to the people then?" Quite simply, if the people in China do not trust their own government and if the people in China have no faith in the fairness of their public authority, then how can the Chinese people overseas believe in Beijing's peaceful rise promise then?
Country's Political Systems
As such, if China wants to fulfill its peaceful development promise and allow others to believe it also, China must first of all give peace to its own people. If China wants to uphold its Constitution and to ensure the establishment of the country's political systems is in place, then China must first ensure that the rights and privileges granted to all the people in China as constitutional rights be given to them as provided under the Chinese Constitution.
It is only when a big country such as China which has a population of 1.3 billion can process sufficient peace and rule of laws within the nation; and it is only when the people in this big country can have basic human rights and freedom as protected under the Chinese Constitution that this big country can have the qualification and be eligible to convince the world that after China becomes a strong power, Chins will not seek to dominate the world as a hegemony as stated in its recent White Paper on Peaceful Development.
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