Sino-U.S. Interlocalism
Wherever I go these days in the world, I encounter numerous Chinese tour groups and individual backpackers, but no Americans ─ the occasional cowboy or lone ranger being the exception. Most Americans I meet pretend to be Canadian.
It is time for the U.S. and Americans to re-assert their global role and presence peacefully ─ proudly come out and spread out onto the world map with their Chinese brothers and sisters and be welcomed with open arms again wherever they go ─ instead of fleeing the world stage like Californians fleeing the periodic infernos that engulf their homes.
Americans should embrace Chinese in the 21st century the way the citizens of Westwego, Louisiana embraced their longtime Chinese-American Sheriff Harry Lee. Thousands, including Hollywood celebrities and a former president, paid their respects to the larger-than-life populist politician with a no-nonsense approach to Louisiana politics during a five-hour viewing of his flag-draped casket.
While the U.S. economy was being battered by the subprime created recession, China’s no-nonsense economic approach achieved its fastest annual growth rate since 1993 in spite of a raft of government measures to control investment and credit growth ─ it grew by more than 11 percent.
Meanwhile, China’s Zhang Zilin was crowned Miss World. She beat 105 other contestants to become the first Chinese winner and the 57th Miss World. Even the contest itself, one of the most-watched events on the planet with a global television audience of more than two billion, has been outsourced from America to China.
China today is one of the richest nations in the world. It holds the largest amount of foreign exchange reserves in the history of mankind. China’s economy is forecast to surpass America and Japan to become the world’s largest economy by 2025 or earlier.
Any wonder China’s rise has brought with it a more assertive approach in dealing with America? This was reflected in the November 2007 Kitty Hawk incident, when China refused to let the Kitty Hawk and eight accompanying ships to make a port call in Hong Kong, to underline its unhappiness over America’s recognition of the Dalai Lama and advanced arms sales to Taiwan. America can no longer take for granted that its military ships have the right to make port calls on Chinese territory.
The U.S. retort of sending the carrier group through the tense waters between the mainland and Taiwan, the first by a U.S. aircraft carrier since 2002, only further angered and alienated Beijing.
It is time Americans recognize and start seriously thinking and doing something about the real economic cost of the U.S. government’s determination to remain the world’s sole shaky and badly bruised superpower ─ at U.S. taxpayers ever increasing expense. Why not share the burden with a willing and reliable partner?
America’s global standing in world opinion is at an all time low. One does have to ponder why America, a country with the most powerful military and intelligence machines in human history, got it wrong on Iran and Iraq and is unable to restore order and democracy in Iraq after more than four years of occupation. America has lost the trust and global leadership role it coveted so much. Americans have to re-calibrate America if it is to regain its leadership role and support for its views and policies.
If America fails to embrace China as its strategic partner in the 21st century to create a joint dollar-yuan pegged basket of their currencies and also form a Sino-U.S. interlocal geopolitical partnership, America will be booted off the world stage the same way America’s national pastime ─ baseball ─ was booted off the Olympic games.
It is time for the U.S. and Americans to re-assert their global role and presence peacefully ─ proudly come out and spread out onto the world map with their Chinese brothers and sisters and be welcomed with open arms again wherever they go ─ instead of fleeing the world stage like Californians fleeing the periodic infernos that engulf their homes.
Americans should embrace Chinese in the 21st century the way the citizens of Westwego, Louisiana embraced their longtime Chinese-American Sheriff Harry Lee. Thousands, including Hollywood celebrities and a former president, paid their respects to the larger-than-life populist politician with a no-nonsense approach to Louisiana politics during a five-hour viewing of his flag-draped casket.
While the U.S. economy was being battered by the subprime created recession, China’s no-nonsense economic approach achieved its fastest annual growth rate since 1993 in spite of a raft of government measures to control investment and credit growth ─ it grew by more than 11 percent.
Meanwhile, China’s Zhang Zilin was crowned Miss World. She beat 105 other contestants to become the first Chinese winner and the 57th Miss World. Even the contest itself, one of the most-watched events on the planet with a global television audience of more than two billion, has been outsourced from America to China.
China today is one of the richest nations in the world. It holds the largest amount of foreign exchange reserves in the history of mankind. China’s economy is forecast to surpass America and Japan to become the world’s largest economy by 2025 or earlier.
Any wonder China’s rise has brought with it a more assertive approach in dealing with America? This was reflected in the November 2007 Kitty Hawk incident, when China refused to let the Kitty Hawk and eight accompanying ships to make a port call in Hong Kong, to underline its unhappiness over America’s recognition of the Dalai Lama and advanced arms sales to Taiwan. America can no longer take for granted that its military ships have the right to make port calls on Chinese territory.
The U.S. retort of sending the carrier group through the tense waters between the mainland and Taiwan, the first by a U.S. aircraft carrier since 2002, only further angered and alienated Beijing.
It is time Americans recognize and start seriously thinking and doing something about the real economic cost of the U.S. government’s determination to remain the world’s sole shaky and badly bruised superpower ─ at U.S. taxpayers ever increasing expense. Why not share the burden with a willing and reliable partner?
America’s global standing in world opinion is at an all time low. One does have to ponder why America, a country with the most powerful military and intelligence machines in human history, got it wrong on Iran and Iraq and is unable to restore order and democracy in Iraq after more than four years of occupation. America has lost the trust and global leadership role it coveted so much. Americans have to re-calibrate America if it is to regain its leadership role and support for its views and policies.
If America fails to embrace China as its strategic partner in the 21st century to create a joint dollar-yuan pegged basket of their currencies and also form a Sino-U.S. interlocal geopolitical partnership, America will be booted off the world stage the same way America’s national pastime ─ baseball ─ was booted off the Olympic games.
posted by Peter de Krassel's Custom Maid Politics at 5:25 AM
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