China idolizes peace, seamless growth in Asia Pacific region

China Plus Published: 2017-03-17 09:51:54
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China idolizes peace, seamless growth in Asia Pacific region

By Yasir Habib Khan

When it comes to uphold the supremacy of peace on international affairs, China takes a visible lead justifying its role as responsible world power to iron out all sorts of contusions especially with the US and neighboring countries in Asia-Pacific region and South China Sea. 

In the light of gesture displayed by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in his press conference after the NPC conclusion, China seems to have set a fresh tone of peaceful endeavors and seamless growth among the stakeholders shrugging off various creeping differences. 

With a peace-oriented foreign policy, Chinese leadership has been striving hard to work together with neighboring countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) instead of promoting notorious formula of “divide and rule” that reigned supreme in Cold Ward scenario. 

Annual session of legislative body has also unveiled Chinese doctrine that China never wants to create a situation under which a country will have no option other than throwing a weight behind one power to other closing chapter of hegemony once for all. 

It is true that there are disagreements between China and ASEAN members but mutual growth supersedes all. Last year China-ASEAN marked 25th anniversary of their bilateral trade and economic cooperation. Being a largest trading partner with ASEAN for many consecutive years, trade has blossomed at an annual rate of 18.5 percent. 

In 2010, China and ASEAN formed a free trade area — or FTA — that paves a way for “zero tariff” trading. The two sides inked an agreement to expand trade in the FTA in 2015, targeting $1 trillion in total bilateral trade by 2020.

There is no doubt that China gives value to ASEAN and it is reflective of views shared by Chinese Premier Li with media that "As China's neighborhood diplomacy priorities ASEAN, we stand with it through thick and thin working together for progress and peace in the region” 

Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping always gives prominence to China's neighborhood diplomacy putting great thrust on maintaining peace and security, linking development strategies, conducting security cooperation and consolidating people-to-people friendship.

Since with great power comes great responsibility, emerging super power “China” has never fallen prey of any provocations that may flare up flames of disputes. In order to quell the turbulence in South China Sea, China and ASEAN has successfully outlined the draft of a Code of Conduct (COC). ASEAN in chair with Philippines is hopeful to reach final agreement by the end of 2017. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also termed it a diplomatic success. 

On diplomatic front, China-US tension runs high always. The pre and post Trump scenario are highly inflammable. US newly elected President Donald Trump and his team breathes fire against China allegedly painting its role as tyrant and mischief monger. 

The construction of lighthouses, weather forecasting systems, fisher shelters and rescue facilities on Chinese islands are being feared as Chinese influence in South China Sea. US hardliners have also been accusing China for its brief defense adjustment on its islands. Instead of playing a due role of peacemaker, US intensified surveillance of China to fulfill its dream of hegemony in East Asia. 

Under volatile circumstances, all praise for Chinese leadership which did not lose the temper. Even during the press conference held by Chinese Premier Li, questions were hurled to provoke China against US, but premier took everyone by storm when said that both China and US have been cherishing cooperation with each other in Asia pacific region since long and they believe in deepening their common area of interests stretching out all limits of cooperation. 

His claim that many US companies place their Asia-Pacific headquarters in China carried weight. 

These are facts that various American companies from Apple to Ford Motor to Nike to HJ Heinz to the Gap are expanding in Chinese mainland. Starbucks and Coca Cola, General Motors and Volkswagen have invested billions in China. 

According to recent priorities set by the US-China Business Council (USCBC), Mark Fields, president and chief executive officer, Ford Motor Company, said: “The United States and China should go hand in hand to attain the shared goals of bilateral relationship to fulfill the potential for growth and success in both countries. USCBC President John Frisbie said, “The American business community is a partner to both governments in achieving the shared goal of tangible progress in the coming year.  

Against all odds, China tries to deescalate tension when Premier said that China and the United States have been negotiating deeply on meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump.

Showing gesture of responsible country, China makes it loud and clear once again in the post activities of two sessions that ultimate peace and development hinge in China-US relationship. 

(The author is a senior investigative journalist working for The News International, Daily Times, Pakistan Today and Centerline Magazine in Pakistan.)

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LU Xiankun Professor LU Xiankun is Managing Director of LEDECO Geneva and Associate Partner of IDEAS Centre Geneva. He is Emeritus Professor of China Institute for WTO Studies of the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE) and Wuhan University (WHU) of China and visiting professor or senior research fellow of some other universities and think tanks in China and Europe. He also sits in management of some international business associations and companies, including as Senior Vice President of Shenzhen UEB Technology LTD., a leading e-commerce company of China. Previously, Mr. LU was senior official of Chinese Ministry of Commerce and senior diplomat posted in Europe, including in Geneva as Counsellor and Head of Division of the Permanent Mission of China to the WTO and in Brussels as Commercial Secretary of the Permanent Mission of China to the EU. Benjamin Cavender Benjamin Cavender is a Shanghai based consultant with more than 11 years of experience helping companies understand consumer behavior and develop go to market strategies for China. He is a frequent speaker on economic and consumer trends in China and is often featured on CNBC, Bloomberg, and Channel News Asia. Sara Hsu Sara Hsu is an associate professor from the State University of New York at New Paltz. She is a regular commentator on Chinese economy. Xu Qinduo Xu Qinduo is CRI's former chief correspondent to Washington DC, the United States. He works as the producer, host and commentator for TODAY, a flagship talk show on current affairs. Mr. Xu contributes regularly to English-language newspapers including Shenzhen Daily and Global Times as well as Chinese-language radio and TV services. Lin Shaowen A radio person, Mr. Lin Shaowen is strongly interested in international relations and Chinese politics. As China is quite often misunderstood in the rest of the world, he feels the need to better present the true picture of the country, the policies and meanings. So he talks a lot and is often seen debating. Then friends find a critical Lin Shaowen criticizing and criticized. George N. Tzogopoulos Dr George N. Tzogopoulos is an expert in media and politics/international relations as well as Chinese affairs. He is Senior Research Fellow at the Centre International de Européenne (CIFE) and Visiting Lecturer at the European Institute affiliated with it and is teaching international relations at the Department of Law of the Democritus University of Thrace. George is the author of two books: US Foreign Policy in the European Media: Framing the Rise and Fall of Neoconservatism (IB TAURIS) and The Greek Crisis in the Media: Stereotyping in the International Press (Ashgate) as well as the founder of chinaandgreece.com, an institutional partner of CRI Greek. David Morris David Morris is the Pacific Islands Trade and Investment Commissioner in China, a former Australian diplomat and senior political adviser. Harvey Dzodin After a distinguished career in the US government and American media Dr. Harvey Dzodin is now a Beijing-based freelance columnist for several media outlets. While living in Beijing, he has published over 200 columns with an emphasis on arts, culture and the Belt & Road initiative. He is also a sought-after speaker and advisor in China and abroad. He currently serves as Nonresident Research Fellow of the think tank Center for China and Globalization and Senior Advisor of Tsinghua University National Image Research Center specializing in city branding. Dr. Dzodin was a political appointee of President Jimmy Carter and served as lawyer to a presidential commission. Upon the nomination of the White House and the US State Department he served at the United Nations Office in Vienna, Austria. He was Director and Vice President of the ABC Television in New York for more than two decades.