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talkpoliticshttp://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2012-02/02/content_14522046.htm
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/NB08Ad02.html
http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,15717229,00.html
How to save the Euro, how to preserve international peace, and how to guarantee human rights. Those were the three points Angela Merkel tried to make during her visit to China. And she made it clear that she is expecting more than the usual nice talk, she is expecting a real partnership on those subjects. But how willing were the Chinese to listen to her?
The thing is, because of her grandiose economic progress, China has become very self-confident, to a point that whatever the subject of any economical and geopolitical talk may happen to be, it inevitably steers into Chinese direction eventually. Regardless if the topic is climate change, the bloody suppression of the Syrian protests, or the nuclear aspirations of North Korea and Iran. Meanwhile the gravitational force of the Chinese currency reserve (worth over 3 trillion dollars) certainly exerts serious influence on the European and Asian state treasuries.
And no matter how hard she was trying to avoid admitting this fact before her visit, as soon as she stepped on Chinese soil the German chancellor started acting like a true pro-Euro lobbyist. In a typically German composed and rational manner, she was advocating in favour of the Euro in front of her Chinese hosts. She gave a detailed presentation of the purpose and meaning of the fiscal security pact in the Euro zone. But the Chinese prime minister Wen Jiabao showed no willingness to make concessions. He just vaguely promised that China would think about a possible participation in the safety umbrella for the Euro, and in helping to deal with the debt crisis. Which wouldn't come without a price, of course...
Despite all this, Ms Chancellor could still be satisfied with her visit. After all, she met with the three top leaders of China; they greeted her as "an old friend of China" and China's most important partner in Europe. But meanwhile Beijing did not leave any ground for uncertainty on the question who is ordering the tune. In China, Merkel was faced with some firmly drawn lines that even she couldn't cross over.
There is something else that remained unmentioned during that visit. It is no secret for anyone that China's confidence largely rests upon censorship and authoritarianism. There is something that ought to have disturbed Merkel and everybody else who counts on an equal treatment of each side's interests and values (and the Germans are very sensitive on this topic, particularly in their foreign policy). The Chinese hosts did their best to prevent the scheduled visit to the critically inclined media group Nanfang, and eventually the visit was cancelled. Another meeting was dropped too, with the famous lawyer Mo Xiaoping who had represented the Nobel Peace Prize dissident Liu Xiaobo.
There is a phrase that roams the circles of who are interested in China: "There is only one thing that grows faster than the Chinese economy - it is the self-confidence of the Chinese leadership". However the unceremonious re-drawing of Merkel's schedule (which could definitely be called censorship) shows a potential fragility of that same leadership... an almost paranoid desire to avoid mentioning any word on those sensitive issues. If they had allowed Merkel to visit the media group, some interesting hints about the capabilities of the Chinese journalism could have come up. And the blocking of her meeting with the human rights advocate has practically shown how uncertain Beijing could feel about its own internal state norms.
Perhaps China's international stature on the diplomatic scene could have weighed a lot more, if they had relied on something more than the sheer economic muscle. But apparently that is a course they do not deem worth taking the risk for.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/NB08Ad02.html
http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,15717229,00.html
How to save the Euro, how to preserve international peace, and how to guarantee human rights. Those were the three points Angela Merkel tried to make during her visit to China. And she made it clear that she is expecting more than the usual nice talk, she is expecting a real partnership on those subjects. But how willing were the Chinese to listen to her?
The thing is, because of her grandiose economic progress, China has become very self-confident, to a point that whatever the subject of any economical and geopolitical talk may happen to be, it inevitably steers into Chinese direction eventually. Regardless if the topic is climate change, the bloody suppression of the Syrian protests, or the nuclear aspirations of North Korea and Iran. Meanwhile the gravitational force of the Chinese currency reserve (worth over 3 trillion dollars) certainly exerts serious influence on the European and Asian state treasuries.
And no matter how hard she was trying to avoid admitting this fact before her visit, as soon as she stepped on Chinese soil the German chancellor started acting like a true pro-Euro lobbyist. In a typically German composed and rational manner, she was advocating in favour of the Euro in front of her Chinese hosts. She gave a detailed presentation of the purpose and meaning of the fiscal security pact in the Euro zone. But the Chinese prime minister Wen Jiabao showed no willingness to make concessions. He just vaguely promised that China would think about a possible participation in the safety umbrella for the Euro, and in helping to deal with the debt crisis. Which wouldn't come without a price, of course...
Despite all this, Ms Chancellor could still be satisfied with her visit. After all, she met with the three top leaders of China; they greeted her as "an old friend of China" and China's most important partner in Europe. But meanwhile Beijing did not leave any ground for uncertainty on the question who is ordering the tune. In China, Merkel was faced with some firmly drawn lines that even she couldn't cross over.
There is something else that remained unmentioned during that visit. It is no secret for anyone that China's confidence largely rests upon censorship and authoritarianism. There is something that ought to have disturbed Merkel and everybody else who counts on an equal treatment of each side's interests and values (and the Germans are very sensitive on this topic, particularly in their foreign policy). The Chinese hosts did their best to prevent the scheduled visit to the critically inclined media group Nanfang, and eventually the visit was cancelled. Another meeting was dropped too, with the famous lawyer Mo Xiaoping who had represented the Nobel Peace Prize dissident Liu Xiaobo.
There is a phrase that roams the circles of who are interested in China: "There is only one thing that grows faster than the Chinese economy - it is the self-confidence of the Chinese leadership". However the unceremonious re-drawing of Merkel's schedule (which could definitely be called censorship) shows a potential fragility of that same leadership... an almost paranoid desire to avoid mentioning any word on those sensitive issues. If they had allowed Merkel to visit the media group, some interesting hints about the capabilities of the Chinese journalism could have come up. And the blocking of her meeting with the human rights advocate has practically shown how uncertain Beijing could feel about its own internal state norms.
Perhaps China's international stature on the diplomatic scene could have weighed a lot more, if they had relied on something more than the sheer economic muscle. But apparently that is a course they do not deem worth taking the risk for.
(no subject)
Date: 7/2/12 18:47 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 7/2/12 18:53 (UTC)Such a policy sounds much more effective than wars.
(no subject)
Date: 7/2/12 19:02 (UTC)How to save the Euro, how to preserve international peace, and how to guarantee human rights.
Jeopardy Contestant: Alex. I’ll take China for $1,000
Alex: And that’s today’s Daily Double.
Alex: How to save the Euro, how to preserve international peace, and how to guarantee human rights.
Jeopardy Contestant: What are 3 things China doesn’t give a rat’s ass about?
Alex: and how much did you wager?
Jeopardy Contestant: I bet all my winnings, my house, my car and my family, Alex.
Alex: You are today’s Jeopardy Champion
Perhaps China's international stature on the diplomatic scene could have weighed a lot more, if they had relied on something more than the sheer economic muscle. But apparently that is a course they do not deem worth taking the risk for.
Welcome to the audacity of the neavou riche
(no subject)
Date: 7/2/12 19:06 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 7/2/12 19:22 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 7/2/12 19:33 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 7/2/12 19:38 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 7/2/12 19:47 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 7/2/12 20:11 (UTC)Weird lady.
(no subject)
Date: 7/2/12 20:12 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 7/2/12 20:17 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 7/2/12 20:17 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 8/2/12 03:04 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 7/2/12 20:13 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 8/2/12 18:52 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 8/2/12 18:56 (UTC)