[The Telegraph, U.K.]

 

 

Global Times, People's Republic of China

It's Time for China to Exert More Influence on Middle East Nations

 

Is it time for Beijing to start trying harder to 'shape' the future in the Middle East? According to this editorial from China's state-controlled Global Times, while Beijing has in the past followed a course of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, the ongoing series of uprisings in the Middle East may call for a whole new strategy.

 

EDITORIAL

 

Translated By John Chen

 

February 18, 2011

 

People's Republic of China - Global Times - Original Article (Chinese)

Social revolution is reshaping the Middle East, but for the most part, China has remained a spectator, which reduces our diplomatic risks. As for shaping the future of the Middle East, there is little China can do. However, changes in the Middle East affect the outlook of the globe, and the question of which powers fall and rise does inevitably impinge on China's interests.

 

The U.S. has pretended to support revolution on the streets of the Middle East, but like a laser-guided missile, its real support is directed elsewhere. While the U.S. has strongly promoted the expansion of street protests in Tehran, it has been almost completely silent on the police repression in Bahrain. Because the former is an open enemy of the United States, while the latter is the home of the U.S. Fifth Fleet.

 

The hurricane of revolution is likely to change the region beyond all recognition, and forecasting which dictator's life is more secure than another is very difficult to do. Such analyses have all the reliability of a game of roulette. And the more difficult it is to forecast the outcome, the more people seem to want to gamble. Diplomats from the United States and the other major powers are the most active.

 

The U.S. is seeking to ensure that future Middle East regimes remain pro-American. In order to limit its losses, it wants to turn the revolution against its enemies and consolidate the positions of its friends.

 

China's trade in the Middle East has grown rapidly over recent years, but China has rarely sought to directly affect the political process in these nations. Traditionally, China has had no intention of developing such a capability. China has been an earnest practitioner of non-interference in the internal affairs of other nations.

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Having been victimized by interference of Western countries in its own internal affairs, China views non-interference as a kind of defense. China is very cautious and self-disciplined about wielding its political influence in smaller countries.

 

Yet the world is changing as are expectations about China's behavior. As China's resources and self-confidence increase, so, too, do its resources to resist foreign political interference.

 

Diplomacy should be reasoned. But more often than not, weaker countries tend to be rational while stronger countries "break with convention" and adopt "double standards." China seems to be the only country which is growing stronger, yet is adhering to reasonable diplomatic principles.

 

However, as China doesn't in practice get involved with the political processes in Middle Eastern countries, it will only be to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of the new Middle East later. With the U.S. taking steps to affect the outcome, it will be difficult for China to influence events.

 

Whatever the advantages of these changes, they will also come with a price. In the past, China has avoided making enemies of Middle East fundamentalist groups, and economic and trade cooperation has been smooth, with the result that it has reaped more rewards than most. Now the question is one of future trade-offs.

 

Libyan Dictator Muammar Qaddafi addresses Libyans on the birthday of

the Prophet Muhammad, Feb 13. In his address, he blamed Arab leaders

and the West for popular uprisings that have spread across Arab lands.

[CLICK HERE OR CLICK PHOTO TO WATCH]

 

SEE ALSO ON THIS:

La Jornada, Mexico: Egypt's Young People 'Assault the Heavens'

DNA, France: An Unhesitant Salute to Egypt's Uncertain Triumph of Liberty

FAZ, Germany: Explaining the West's Hesitation on Egypt
Kayhan, Iran: Ahmadinejad: Egypt Revolution Reveals Hand of the 'Mahdi'

Jerusalem Post, Israel: Sharansky: 'Maybe it's Time to Put Our Trust in Freedom'

Le Quotidian d'Oran, Algeria: SHAME ON YOU, MR. OBAMA!

Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland: America's Egyptian Problem: Ethics or Realpolitik?

Amal al-Oumma, Egypt: What We Egyptians Have Learned from Revolution

O Globo, Brazil: Facebook and Twitter are Just a Means to a Greater End

La Jornada, Mexico: In Egypt, Washington's Global Image is Once Again at Stake

Al-Wahdawi, Yemen: In Egypt, the 'Mother of All Battles' is Still to Come

Al-Seyassah, Kuwait: U.S. Pressure on Democracy is at Root of the Problem

Tehran Times, Iran: Egyptians and All Arabs Must Beware of 'Global Ruling Class'

Le Quotidien d’Oran, Algeria: Mubarak, Friends Scheme to Short-Circuit Revolt

Salzburger Nachrichten, Austria: U.S. Must Act or Cede Egypt to the Islamists

Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Germany: America's' 'Shameful' Faustian Bargain Unravels

Guardian Unlimited, U.K.: Mubarak Regime 'Still Very Much in Power'

Hankyoreh, South Korea: Egypt: Will U.S. Pick the Right Side this Time?

Global Times, China: Egypt, Tunisia Raise Doubts About Western Democracy

Kayhan, Iran: Middle East Revolutions Herald America's Demise

Sydney Morning Herald: Revolution is in the Air, But U.S. Sticks to Same Old Script

The Telegraph, U.K.: America's Secret Backing for Egypt's Rebel Leaders

Debka File, Israel: Sources: Egypt Uprising Planned in Washington Under Bush

 

 

Nearly all analysts believe that current changes in the Middle East will have an impact on the structure of the world. At the heart of the future global pattern will be the rise of China. And after the revolution, the Middle East will favor China's rise rather than oppose it, which could result in no small benefit.    

 

China would like to have an impact on developments in the Middle East, but probably cannot. Yet if it doesn’t plan for the future, things will likely remain that way. In fact, China's model of development is very appealing to the Middle East, since its key countries will enjoy the growing profits that will emerge from China's continued economic development. In shaping its future influence, China has many cards to play.

 

In the future, pro-China forces in the Middle East should be assured of added benefits, including political ones. This will cause influential figures to adopt stances that favor China rather than merely using it as a bargaining chip, and will affect the political map in the region. This will be easier said than done, but it will be worth it for the sake of our nation's destiny.

 

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[Posted by WORLDMEETS.US February 21, 1:42pm]