New Communist Party chief Xi Jinping’s ‘China Dream’ speech raises
concern among foreign countries, especially those locked in territorial
disputes with China, such as Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines.
THE “China Dream” is a phrase that has appeared in plays and books, but
it recently got an airing at the topmost echelon of power when new
Communist Party chief Xi Jinping used it to rally the nation.
Making
his second speech since taking over as China’s top leader last month,
Xi outlined what he deemed the greatest dream for China: realising the
revival of the Chinese nation.
He said: “Everyone is talking
about a China Dream. I believe the revival of the Chinese nation is the
greatest dream of the nation since modern times. We are at the closest
point to the Chinese nation’s resurgence than any time in modern
history... and I am sure we will accomplish our goal.”
Xi’s choice of words has sparked a new craze over the phrase China Dream, with netizens rendering their own definitions of “
zhongguo meng”, such as a corruption-free country.
Many
believe the new leader was trying to mobilise domestic support for his
agenda of continuing reform and opening up, by inspiring people towards a
China Dream – the title of a 1987 play about a Chinese couple dreaming
of success in the United States.
“It also serves to galvanise the
people’s support and rally the public around the new administration’s
economic and political agenda,” said Professor Wang Dong, an
international studies expert at Peking University.
But a closer
analysis of Xi’s speech makes one wonder if there is cause for concern
for foreign countries, especially those locked in territorial disputes
with China, such as Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines.
First, he
chose to make the speech at the National Museum, where he and six other
members of the apex Politburo Standing Committee had viewed the iconic
China’s Road To Renaissance exhibition late last month.
Visitors
tend to spend at least two hours at the exhibition, which begins with
narratives of China as a weak country that suffered humiliating defeats
and the loss of sovereign territories to foreign powers around the early
1900s.
It then traces the country’s efforts to rise from the
ashes, which gained speed after the reforms and opening up under late
leader Deng Xiaoping in 1980s.
Given the symbolic setting, the
natural fear is that part of Xi’s China Dream may include taking a
tougher stance towards foreign countries that China perceives to be
threatening again to grab its territories.
There were hints in
his speech when he said: “Looking back at our past, we can see that if
we are lagging behind, we will suffer beatings. Only when we advance,
then can we be strong.”
Also, the phrase “China Dream” evokes
memories of a 2010 book by a People’s Liberation Army officer, which
advocated a speedy strengthening of China’s military might or risk being
sidelined by the US.
In his Chinese-language book,
The China Dream,
Senior Colonel Liu Mingfu wrote that “as long as China seeks to rise to
become world No. 1... then even if China is more capitalist than the
US, the US will still be determined to contain it”.
“If China in
the 21st century cannot become world No. 1, cannot become the top power,
then inevitably, it will become a straggler that is cast aside,” added
Col Liu, who is a professor at the National Defence University.
If
Xi was indirectly backing Col Liu’s beliefs, it could hint at more
aggressive moves by Beijing in dealing with foreign countries in future.
For
some, it may have already happened. On the day Xi sketched his idea of
the greatest dream for China, news broke that police in southern Hainan
province would get new powers to intercept foreign ships in the
contested South China Sea.
Though it is unclear whether the new
rules taking effect next month would be limited to only Hainan island’s
territorial waters within 12 nautical miles, the move has given some of
its neighbours sleepless nights.
It has also unnerved
non-claimant countries such as Singapore, which places great value on
regional peace and freedom of navigation.
To be fair, China is
not the only claimant state stirring up the waters in the maritime hub
lately. Others have taken similar actions.
Also, to be sure, some
believe that Xi’s China Dream pertains mostly to improving the people’s
lives through better jobs and better rule of law.
In that sense,
it does not differ much in essence from the American Dream, which
promises equal and fair opportunities for all, in pursuit of a better
life. Or the Singapore dream, which epitomises the prospects of a
successful life gained through hard work.
But niggling concerns
remain, given that China’s new commander-in-chief could fan or yield to
more nationalistic sentiments by taking a more hawkish foreign policy
stance, particularly if domestic political problems persist.
Said
Professor Taylor Fravel, a China expert at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology: “Xi’s speech suggests that he may be more willing to
invoke nationalism, but at this point it is too soon to tell how this
will affect China’s foreign policies.”
After decades of promising
a peaceful rise, it would be a shame if Beijing starts to grow its
might at an unhealthy pace or flex it aggressively, which could worsen
already frayed ties with its neighbours and destabilise the region.
While
China and its people are entitled to pursuing their dream after decades
of setbacks, it is also in the country’s interest to continue to act
like a responsible global power by showing sensitivity to others in the
region.
A dream for China should not become a nightmare for the rest of the world.
By Kor Kian Beng, China Correspondent The Straits Times/Asia News Network
