- MUST READS
- PRODUCTS
- RESOURCES
- MULTIMEDIA
- ENFACTLOPEDIA
- FSM AUTHORS
- ABOUT US
- CONTACT US
- FSM BLOG
- DONATE
- PRESS COVERAGE
SEARCH FSM
- IN THIS SECTION
October 1, 2009
Exclusive: Decoding China’s Hu Jintao’s UN Speech
In his speech to the United Nations General Assembly, President Barack Obama quoted a “weary” President Franklin Roosevelt about the need “to be citizens of the world.” Hopefully, this was just another example of the flowery rhetoric used at such airy events, and not something the current president believes any more than FDR actually did. President Obama said in his address, “We also know that this body is made up of sovereign states. And sadly, but not surprisingly, this body has often become a forum for sowing discord instead of forging common ground; a venue for playing politics and exploiting grievances rather than solving problems.” He did not have to wait long for this dark, but accurate interpretation to be confirmed as tyrants from Libya, Iran, Bolivia, Myanmar, and Zimbabwe strutted to the podium to spew their bile at the world.
The speech by President Hu Jintao of the People’s Republic of China deserves special attention. The rise of Beijing as an economic power is being converted into diplomatic influence and military strength. Chinese policy is at odds with American security interests in every part of the world, and will pose the greatest threat to the United States as a peer competitor for decades to come.
President Hu started by proclaiming “multi-polarity and economic globalization, multilateralism and democracy in international relations have won greater popular support.” The term “multi-polarity” has a special meaning to the Chinese. It means ending American preeminence in world affairs, which Beijing calls “hegemony.” And the championing of “democracy in international relations” is not a reflection of the PRC’s one-party communist dictatorship, but of the idea that bodies like the UN should be based on a “one nation, one vote” basis like the General Assembly where the Third World can overwhelm the West in numbers. It was to counter this danger that the UN Security Council was established with a core built around the Great Powers that won World War II with veto power over all the rest.
President Hu then played on the theme of the UN gathering, disarmament. “China has consistently stood for the complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons and a world without nuclear weapons. We call on the international community to take credible steps to push forward the nuclear disarmament process, eradicate the risks of nuclear weapons proliferation and promote peaceful use of nuclear energy and related international cooperation,” claimed Hu. Yet, China is in the process of expanding its nuclear arsenal, testing and deploying new ICBMs as well as medium range ballistic and cruise missiles, and nuclear missile armed submarines. While Obama is looking for ways to reduce U.S. strategic forces, China is expanding its capabilities. Richard D. Fisher at the International Assessment and Strategy Center is a leading expert on the People’s Liberation Army and author of the insightful reference China’s Military Modernization: Building for Regional and Global Reach (Praeger, 2008). Speaking at a recent Hudson Institute conference in Washington, Fisher warned that China may be about to “breakout” with a major increase in nuclear warheads.
The claim by the Chinese president should thus be taken as another example of disinformation as to Beijing’s goals. This is common in Chinese rhetoric. For example, on September 18th, Hu’s Special Envoy Dai Bingguo, who has taken a very prominent role in PRC diplomacy, met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il “China is willing to promote denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula with joint efforts of involved parties including the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” Dai said. He was repeating the Chinese line used throughout the Six Party Talks which commenced in 2003. During these years, North Korea has been allowed to develop and test nuclear warheads and the missiles needed to deliver them. Beijing, as host of the talks and North Korea’s ally, has been shielding the rogue state from outside actions that could endanger the regime. The hollowness of China’s pledge on non-proliferation was echoed at the Dai-Kim meeting by the North Korean despot’s claim that he also “insists on denuclearization.” What counts are not words, but actions.
On the theme of “sowing discord instead of forging common ground” was President Hu’s dissertation on international economics. “Developed countries should open their markets to developing countries and reduce or exempt tariffs for those countries. They should honor their ODA and debt relief commitments, and in particular, increase assistance for the least developed countries with a focus on tackling issues like hunger, health care and education. For developing countries, self-reliance is essential. They should explore development models conducive to their development and poverty eradication efforts. It is also in their interest to increase trade and investment cooperation and open markets to each other and upgrade South-South cooperation.” In other words, the Western developed countries should continue the massive transfer of wealth that China as a “developing” country has been gaining through export-led growth into Western markets. Yet, China itself should continue to stress “self-reliance” by building up its own industries rather than importing goods from the West. Its mercantilist policies can thus maintain the trade surplus that has given Beijing the world’s largest currency reserves. And South-South cooperation means alignment against the North (West).
The international shift in the economic balance of power will be further advanced in climate change negotiations. Hu argued, “We should keep to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol as the primary channel in addressing climate change, abide by the principle of ‘common but differentiated responsibilities’, adhere to the mandate of the Bali Roadmap, and work for the success of the Copenhagen conference with a view to achieving mutual benefit and common progress.” All the documents Hu cited require the Northern-Western developed countries (U.S. Europe and Japan) to impose crippling controls on their industries and slow their growth, while developing states like China are allowed to move ahead at full speed without limits linked to the campaign against ersatz global warming. There is no “mutual benefit and common progress” in this UN-centered process, only a grand strategic advantage for China and other developing countries.
The day before the General Assembly opened, there was a UN Climate Summit. At that meeting, Hu said, “Climate change is an environment issue, but also, and more importantly, a development issue.” Placing economic growth ahead of “saving the planet” makes perfect sense if one does not believe the planet is in danger. President Hu did say that China would be looking at ways to improve efficiency, using more renewable and nuclear energy. Beijing will also reduce emissions per unit of output. But since Chinese output is expected to grow at a rapid pace, total emissions will continue to expand, as Chinese diplomats acknowledged at a UN meeting in Bonn last June. As Hu said, “For developing countries, the top priority now is to grow the economy, eradicate poverty and improve livelihood.”
Yet, Climate cult leader Al Gore praised China's efforts after Hu’s speech, noting that Beijing has planted more trees in the last two years than the rest of the world combined. But China has also expanded manufacturing faster than anyone else. Planting trees is much easier and less disruptive than the “cap and trade” policy Gore and Obama favor in the United States; a measure that would slow the economy, increase poverty and lower living standards.
The policies China wants the United States and its allies to adopt on trade and climate issues would shift the balance of world power in Beijing’s favor. There is no sense of any common “global” interest in Chinese policy, only a desire to expand PRC national influence on a global scale. That is what Hu really meant when he used the term “globalization.” Obama, understanding American public opinion, had to reference the duties of his office at the UN. He told the General Assembly, ““Now, like all of you, my responsibility is to act in the interest of my nation and my people, and I will never apologize for defending those interests.” With China rising over the horizon, Obama had better take these words about national interest to heart as the most realistic part of his UN address.
FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor William R. Hawkins is a consultant specializing in international economic and national security issues. He is a former economics professor and Republican Congressional staff member.
Reader Comments: Submit Your Comment (0)
| Print This E-mail This |
|
