Those in the Alt-Media Community who sincerely support China should immediately recalibrate their narratives about its policy towards the West after Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin’s latest clarification. The People’s Republic will always proudly defend itself from that de facto New Cold War bloc’s unprovoked aggression, but it also won’t ever engage in its own unprovoked aggressions against them either. Fantasizing that China is obsessed with fighting against the West cultivates false expectations about its foreign policy that in turn lead to confusion and disappointment.
It would be interesting to analyze to what extent the idea -which many now insist on denying- of the China-Russia anti Western alliance and of the mighty Beijing ready to even confront the US militarily was encouraged from the circles of power in China and its media.
This idea -especially that of the Chinese giant willing not to give an inch to the US and its allies- apparently began to crack after Beijing's faltering response to Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan. I don't know among the alternative media, but I do know that China's credibility was compromised by this US provocation. And here comes another, as the new Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, is also planning a trip to Taipei. What will be the reaction of the Chinese government?
Official statements by governments are worth considering, though one should not consider them to be completely honest or comprehensive. Even if they are strictly speaking honest, much tends to be left unsaid. This is most definitely true of China.
The Chinese government's official position is that it has no "alliances" compelling it to support any other country in a mechanistic manner. This seems like a practical position, and as such, there is no reason to doubt that it is real. The lack of formal alliances of course does not prevent cooperation seen to be of mutual benefit.
There is also no reason to doubt that the Chinese government has a strong preference for peaceful relations with all countries, and that it is likely to endeavor to maintain such relations for as long as possible. Historically none of its actions in recent decades would support a different view.
It is however a fact that such a preference for peaceful relations is not universal. The fact that the rulers of Country A prefer peace with Country B does not mean that the rulers of Country B sees things the same way. Should Country B devote significant resources in time and money to denigrating, sanctioning and otherwise attacking Country A in various ways, would it not be foolish for the rulers of Country A to ignore all these signs and to fail to prepare accordingly?
Though the folks inhabiting Zhongnanhai these days certainly can be faulted for some very questionable decisions (see recent history!), suffice it to say that there is no evidence that they are this foolish.
Is there anyone in the world "fantasizing that China is obsessed with fighting the West"???... Only if it's a golden planet, far away from this one!
It would be interesting to analyze to what extent the idea -which many now insist on denying- of the China-Russia anti Western alliance and of the mighty Beijing ready to even confront the US militarily was encouraged from the circles of power in China and its media.
This idea -especially that of the Chinese giant willing not to give an inch to the US and its allies- apparently began to crack after Beijing's faltering response to Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan. I don't know among the alternative media, but I do know that China's credibility was compromised by this US provocation. And here comes another, as the new Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, is also planning a trip to Taipei. What will be the reaction of the Chinese government?
The truth is often neither black nor white.
Official statements by governments are worth considering, though one should not consider them to be completely honest or comprehensive. Even if they are strictly speaking honest, much tends to be left unsaid. This is most definitely true of China.
The Chinese government's official position is that it has no "alliances" compelling it to support any other country in a mechanistic manner. This seems like a practical position, and as such, there is no reason to doubt that it is real. The lack of formal alliances of course does not prevent cooperation seen to be of mutual benefit.
There is also no reason to doubt that the Chinese government has a strong preference for peaceful relations with all countries, and that it is likely to endeavor to maintain such relations for as long as possible. Historically none of its actions in recent decades would support a different view.
It is however a fact that such a preference for peaceful relations is not universal. The fact that the rulers of Country A prefer peace with Country B does not mean that the rulers of Country B sees things the same way. Should Country B devote significant resources in time and money to denigrating, sanctioning and otherwise attacking Country A in various ways, would it not be foolish for the rulers of Country A to ignore all these signs and to fail to prepare accordingly?
Though the folks inhabiting Zhongnanhai these days certainly can be faulted for some very questionable decisions (see recent history!), suffice it to say that there is no evidence that they are this foolish.