{"id":140476,"date":"2017-12-19T05:33:58","date_gmt":"2017-12-19T10:33:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=140476"},"modified":"2017-12-19T05:33:58","modified_gmt":"2017-12-19T10:33:58","slug":"following-trumps-report-china-urges-us-to-accept-its-rise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2017\/12\/19\/following-trumps-report-china-urges-us-to-accept-its-rise\/","title":{"rendered":"Following Trump’s report, China urges US to accept its rise"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The<\/a>
The Chinese government on Tuesday criticized U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to label Beijing a strategic rival and called on Washington to \u201cabandon a Cold War mentality\u201d and accept China’s rise. (Photo<\/a> by Fredrik Rubensson\/Flickr<\/a>, CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

BEIJING \u2014 The Chinese government on Tuesday criticized U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to label Beijing a strategic rival and called on Washington to \u201cabandon a Cold War mentality\u201d and accept China’s rise.<\/p>\n

Trump’s decision reflects a \u201cvictory of hardliners\u201d in his administration, the official Xinhua News Agency said. It warned U.S.-Chinese economic relations were likely to face \u201ceven more pressure and challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe urge the United States to stop deliberately distorting China’s strategic intentions and abandon a Cold War mentality,\u201d said a foreign ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying. \u201cOtherwise it will injure others and damage itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump’s report Monday hit a series of sore spots for Beijing. It affirmed ties with Taiwan, the self-ruled island the mainland government claims as its territory, and pledged to \u201cre-energize our alliances\u201d with Southeast Asian governments, some of which have conflicts with China over claims to portions of the South China Sea.<\/p>\n

The United States and China share one of the world’s biggest trading relationships and co-operate in areas from clean energy to public health. But Beijing sees Washington as an obstacle to its ambitions to be East Asia’s dominant power, and strains over Taiwan, trade, technology policy and the South China Sea are growing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is selfish to put your national interest above other countries’ interest and the mutual interest of the\u00a0international\u00a0community,\u201d said the Chinese Embassy in Washington in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Chinese side is willing to have peaceful coexistence with all countries,\u201d said the embassy statement. \u201cThe United States should also adapt and accept China’s development.\u201d<\/p>\n

U.S. officials are uneasy about Beijing’s rising military spending \u2014 already the second-highest behind Washington. They see President Xi Jinping’s \u201cBelt and Road Initiative,\u201d a project to build railways and other infrastructure across countries from Asia to Europe and Africa, as part of efforts to erode American influence and nurture a China-centred political structure.<\/p>\n

Especially sensitive is Taiwan, the democratic island Beijing has declared a \u201ccore interest\u201d over which it will go to war, if necessary.<\/p>\n

Trump’s report promises to \u201cmaintain our strong ties with Taiwan\u201d and provide for its \u201clegitimate defence needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

China has taken a tougher stance toward Taiwan since last year’s election of President Tsai Ing-wen, who has refused to endorse Beijing’s contention that Taiwan is part of the Chinese nation. Chinese commentators speculate on the possible need for military steps to put pressure on Tsai.<\/p>\n

After Trump signed a law this month that opened the way for U.S. Navy ships to visit Taiwan, a Chinese diplomat quoted by state media said the mainland would attack the day that happened.<\/p>\n

Trump’s report doesn’t change Washington’s official stance but might aggravate tensions if Taiwanese who want formal independence see it as sign of U.S. support and \u201cwant to take advantage of it,\u201d said Xiong Zhiyong, a U.S. relations expert at China Foreign Affairs University.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Chinese government is also anxious,\u201d said Xiong. He said the Chinese diplomat’s remark is a \u201cwarning out of real worry that something may happen unexpectedly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hua, the foreign ministry spokeswoman, urged Washington to stick to diplomatic commitments on how to handle Taiwan.<\/p>\n

On Monday, Chinese warplanes flew around Taiwan in what the military said was a test of their \u201cocean combat ability.\u201d Taiwan’s defence ministry said Japan launched fighter planes to track the Chinese aircraft, but the Japanese government would not confirm that.<\/p>\n

Trump’s report promises to \u201cre-energize our alliances\u201d with governments including the Philippines and Vietnam, which have conflicting territorial claims with Beijing in the South China Sea. It also pledges to expand military co-operation with India, a country Beijing sees as a rival.<\/p>\n

The report emphasized economic security and repeated complaints that China steals technology and uses \u201ceconomic inducements\u201d to persuade other governments to serve its strategic interests.<\/p>\n

It proposes restricting visas to prevent intellectual property theft by foreigners, particularly Chinese, who travel to the United States to study science, engineering, math and technology.<\/p>\n

Foreign business groups in China report that companies are increasingly frustrated with market barriers and other restrictions they say violate Beijing’s free-trade promises.<\/p>\n

The report is another abrupt turn in Trump’s stance toward Beijing, which has veered between blistering criticism on trade and currency and optimism about co-operation on North Korea and other problems.<\/p>\n

\u201cChina seeks to displace the United States in the Indo-Pacific region, expand the reaches of its state-driven economic model, and reorder the region in its favour,\u201d the report says.<\/p>\n

In April, Trump announced that he was setting aside complaints about trade and currency in hopes of winning Chinese co-operation on North Korea. U.S. officials resumed criticizing Beijing in July.<\/p>\n

Trump switched back to friendly overtures during a visit to Beijing in November. He said the two sides could solve most of the world’s problems if they co-operated.<\/p>\n

The Global Times, a newspaper published by the ruling Communist Party, said the report \u201creflects Washington’s reluctance to accept the reality of China’s rise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is impossible for the United States to restrain China,\u201d said the newspaper, known for its nationalistic tone. \u201cAs China continues to grow and its influence continues to spill over, this is the root cause of Washington’s anxiety.\u201d<\/p>\n

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