[Interview] China isn’t pursuing hegemony but economic development, Beijing expert says

Posted on : 2020-06-21 08:44 KST Modified on : 2020-06-21 08:44 KST
CIIS senior research fellow Yang Xiyu says China only wishes to protect its sovereignty
Yang Xiyu, a senior fellow at the China Institute of International Studies (CIIS). (Hankyoreh archives)
Yang Xiyu, a senior fellow at the China Institute of International Studies (CIIS). (Hankyoreh archives)

“China has no intention of pursuing hegemony. China’s goal is to become an advanced economy through sustainable growth. Its top priority is economic development, and in that sense it’s also important to China that a peaceful external environment is formed.”

Meeting with the Hankyoreh at a tea shop near Dongmen in central Beijing on the afternoon of June 10, Yang Xiyu, a senior fellow at the China Institute of International Studies (CIIS), had this to say about the growing friction between Washington and Beijing. He also commented that the “essence of the US-China conflict is a strategic clash combined with ideological elements.”

“China doesn’t want a fight, but if a situation arises where its sovereignty is being violated, it is obliged to take action,” he added. Noting that China is “not opposed to the expansion of a multilateral framework with the G7 being increased to 11 countries,” he explained, “If they form a bloc to isolate another party as in the Cold War era, China will have no choice but to respond.”

Yang is a former diplomat and US expert who previously worked for the Chinese embassy in the US and the Chinese mission to the UN. He is also a Korean Peninsula expert who took part in the Six-Party Talks on the North Korean nuclear issue and the drafting of a Joint Statement from those talks on Sept. 19, 2005. CIIS is a policy research institute established under the Chinese Foreign Ministry in 1956, representing the equivalent of South Korea’s Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security under the Korean National Diplomatic Academy.

Hankyoreh (Hani): Are US-China relations the worst they’ve ever been?

Yang Xiyu: Back in 2018 when the trade war was at its peak, there were people saying China-US relations were at their worst ever. But things are definitely worse now. The relationship between the two sides at the moment isn’t a matter at the level of any individual issue. On the whole, both sides’ leaders need to take responsibility and work to improve things. China doesn’t want a fight. But no country is just going to sit around and do nothing if a situation arises where the principles of reciprocity and equality are ignored and its sovereignty is infringed upon..

Strategic clash combined with ideological elements

Hani: Some have said the US and China are entering a new Cold War.

Yang: The strategic rivalry between them isn’t a bad thing in itself. The problem is the animosity and the clashing. The essence of the US-China conflict is a strategic clash combined with ideological elements. Once you factor ideological elements into a situation where the US keeps engaging in “China bashing,” there’s a possibility of a “Cold War 2.0,” with a different political and economic topography from the past Cold War.

When US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo refers to China, he uses the term “Chinese Communist Party.” I can’t recall ever seeing a US diplomatic chief speaking separately of China as a country and the ruling Communist Party. That sort of attitude is about fanning conflict, not seeking solutions. When they’re being so open about not wanting to acknowledge their dialogue counterpart, you can only conclude that they’re aching for a fight.

Chinese policy of “peaceful development” has always been the same

Hani: It’s also been said that Chinese diplomacy has become more “aggressive” since President Xi Jinping came to power.

Yang: China’s guiding philosophy of “peaceful development” in foreign policy hasn’t changed at all since the Deng Xiaoping era. China has no intention of pursuing hegemony. The things China is wariest of are the so-called “middle income trap” (a situation where a developing country achieves a middle income through economic development but suffers a growth slowdown in the long term) and the “Thucydides trap” (a situation where an emerging power clashes with an existing power). China’s goal is to go from a middle income country to an advanced economy through sustainable growth. Its top priority is economic development, and in that sense it’s also important to China that a peaceful external environment is formed

Hani: As the conflict has intensified, there’s been talk of the possibility of the Phase 1 trade deal being scrapped.

Yang: In the short term, I don’t see the Phase 1 trade deal collapsing. Even with the coronavirus situation, China has worked to honor its promises to the US. With an election this year, it’s also in the Donald Trump administration’s interest to honor the Phase 1 trade deal. From a long-term perspective, the uncertainties are considerable. China is not going to unilaterally abandon the Phase 1 trade deal, which was achieved through a large number of concessions. Even if the US applies all manner of sanctions, China will not use the trade deal as a means of retaliation. China’s aim is to have comprehensive trade negotiations with the US. But depending on the situation, there is the possibility of the US unilaterally scrapping the deal.

Hani: Huawei has emerged as a key focus in the US-China conflict.

Yang: The Huawei issue sets a bad precedent. Banning the exportation of semiconductors produced with US technology to Huawei amounts to a secondary boycott. If that becomes the international standard, then we could prohibit the export of products made with Chinese technology to the US. What would be the result of that? The industrial supply chain would collapse at the global level. The decoupling of China and the US isn’t just an issue between those two countries -- it's an issue for the whole world. It can only lead to a new Cold War. When China and the US fight, it’s not just them but the world that suffers.

Potential of military clash

Hani: There are also concerts about the possibility of a military clash between the US and China.

Yang: The US is trying to generate conflict, but I see the likelihood of a military clash between the two sides as very low. An extremely limited form of clash in the South China Sea would be one thing -- like an unintended armed clash erupting between South and North Korea -- but the chance of a full-scale clash between the US and China is zero. It isn’t worth it to either of them. But the Taiwan issue is different. You can’t say there isn’t a possibility, because it’s a matter of sovereignty.

The key thing about Cross-Strait [China-Taiwan] relations is that it’s a situation where the Cold War hasn’t ended. After the Korean War broke out on June 25, 1950, the first thing the Harry Truman administration did was to send the US Navy’s 7th Fleet to the Taiwan Strait. They were concerned about the so-called “domino effect.” Had China’s air force and naval capabilities been sufficiently strong at the time, it would have finished its civil war even if that meant fighting with the US. Now we have an unfinished civil war situation going on, and if some change is introduced to the status quo, there will be no option but to resume the civil war that was suspended.

Hani: Some have also commented that the Hong Kong security law is in violation of the principle of “one country, two systems.”

Yang: The security law has nothing to do with Hong Kong’s autonomy. Before 1997, Hong Kong’s autonomy was in the hands of Great Britain; from there, it was transferred to China. The large scope of autonomy given to Hong Kong must not be allowed to extend beyond the “one country” boundary. A certain segment supported by the US is demanding autonomy that goes beyond the scope of China’s sovereignty. A challenge to sovereignty is unacceptable.

Hani: Will things change if the Democratic Party comes to power in the US presidential election this November?

Yang: Bilateral relations need to be approached as a matter of national interests, not partisan politics. China has already concluded that the essence remains the same whether the Democrats or Republicans are in power. The interference in China’s domestic affairs will continue either way. That’s hardened into a kind of habit for the US over time. The China-US conflict consists of three main strands: economy and trade, politics and national security, and ideology. The Republican Party generally tends to focus on the first two, while the Democratic Party focuses on ideological issues. China is prepared to respond regardless of which of the two is in power.

China not opposed to expanding G7 framework

Hani: South Korea has a close relationship with the US in security terms and China in economic terms.

Yang: Even if the US and China have conflict, hopefully they will fight fairly. It’s not a fair approach to force a choice on a third country. China is not opposed to the G7 being increased to 11 countries. The expansion of multilateral frameworks is a welcome development. But if it’s an attempt to create an “anti-China bloc,” that is not fair. If they form a bloc to isolate another party as in the Cold War era, China will have no choice but to respond.

By Jung In-hwan, Beijing correspondent

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]

button that move to original korean article (클릭시 원문으로 이동하는 버튼)

Related stories

Most viewed articles