In November, US Ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel described a pattern of China using the international system for its own benefit, while behaving in a manner that undermines international norms:
The Chinese people, separate from the Communist Party, have a lot to offer. Rich history, great culture, an incredible work ethic, and great innovations. It is the Chinese Communist Party that is suppressing that….
And the Chinese Communist Party as you talk about what they have done, yes, they have been a beneficiary of the global world order and rule system that they are now trying to undermine rather than be invest in it
s success. The international system which they joined helped them take millions of people out of poverty and bring them into the middle class. Rather than uphold them and strengthen them, they’re trying to undermine it.Japan where we are (in 2015) is the first country to be a victim of Chinese economic coercion. In the last two years that’s true about Australia. After that was South Korea [and] Lithuania. Not only economic coercion because they disagree with you politically, then they try to force you and break you through that economic coercion, they also constantly practice intellectual property theft and local economic espionage.
President Xi looked President Obama in the eye and said we will never militarize the islands, that’s exactly what they did.
Philippines took the to the world maritime court on the issues of the islands around the Philippines. The court ruled in the Philippines favor. China said, we’re not acknowledging that decision or participating, even though they’re part of the international system.
They told the UK, we’ll have one country, two systems when it came to Hong Kong. And they totally threw that out of the box.
There’s a pattern here and you need to be aware of the pattern. And the fact is, the Chinese system works great for China, but it is in nobody else’s interest.
