U.S. may adopt realistic China policy

By Amit Baruah

SINGAPORE, SEPT. 16. As the world mourns the victims of American tragedy that took place on September 11, the Asia-Pacific region and individual nations are looking at the implications of the attacks on New York and Washington.

Some fear that U.S. may become more distant, more involved with itself and its problems. Others are concerned about the implications of military retaliation by the U.S. A China- focused policy which has been one of the central foreign policy planks of the U.S. may now be a thing of the past. While the Clinton administration had looked upon China as a ``strategic partner'' the Bush regime saw it as a ``strategic competitor''. After the attacks, it is hoped that a more realistic approach to China, which is rooted in the realities of the day rather than clouded in Cold War perceptions, will now emerge.

It is, however, not clear what will happen to the ballistic missile defence programme of the U.S. President, Mr. George Bush. This is an issue which had led to sharp exchange of words between Washington and Beijing in the recent weeks. Some analysts believe that the Right-wing, militaristic elements will be strengthened in the U.S. in the wake of the attacks and they will push through with the missile defence programme.

Writing about the impact of the attacks on the U.S. foreign policy in The Straits Times, Mr. Tom Plate, a US-based academic, said: ``This week's attack should prove a clarifying moment. The so-called China threat will possibly subside as America sheds its post-war adolescence via the agonising growth experience of true national tragedy''.

``The relentlessly purveyed image of China as a giant menace deserves a thorough rethink. Subterranean enemies with extremist agendas, armed with kamikaze terrorist weapons, are the new reality,'' Mr. Plate argued.

A recent commentary in the Chinese People's Daily newspaper said: ``In the past, the U.S. had all along been looking for imaginary enemies....with this clearly defined adversary, and when the U.S. put anti-terrorist activity in the priority position, it (the U.S.) will naturally reduce its deeply-concerned foreign threat and will thus ease its relations with China, Russia and some other countries.'' The official newspaper added that the terrorist attacks in the U.S. would have great influence on the post-Cold War political and strategic thought.

Hardline statements emanating from the Bush administration officials in the past had been viewed with considerable concern not just in Beijing but in the rest of East and South-East Asia.

New opportunities

Tuesday's attacks and an emerging global opposition to terrorism should open up new opportunities for both China and the U.S. to cooperate with each other. Just as Beijing would be keen on participating in any emerging international consensus and action on terrorism, the U.S. would be aware that taking China along is a must for the international coalition to have wide acceptance.

There is little doubt that a country like China has its own concerns about terrorism. That the Taliban was exporting its own brand of extremist Islam to the Uighurs in Xinjiang province has long been an issue of concern to Beijing. It is also clear that the recent expansion of the ``Shanghai Five'' to the ``Shanghai Six'', involving China, Russia and the Central Asian republics, has been aimed at terrorism in the region.

On June 15 this year, the Shanghai Six signed a pact against ``terrorism, separatism and extremism'', which the leaders believed were threatening the territorial integrity and security of the six countries as well as their political, economic and social stability.

This pact was a clear signal that China and Russia, along with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, were serious about dealing with the issues of terrorism and extremism which are rooted in the use of extremist Islam as a mobilising factor.

China, in the wake of Tuesday's horrendous events, has stated clearly that it shares the concerns of the rest of the world as far as terrorism is concerned. However, the Chinese officials have called for wider consultations if, for instance, NATO was to take military action outside Europe. Such a position is unexceptionable.

Beijing will also be closely watching the emerging cooperation between the U.S. and Pakistan, a key ally of China, in the ``war'' promised against Osama bin Laden and his Taliban benefactors.

It will be interesting to watch the Chinese response if America and its Western allies act unilaterally against Osama and his associates.

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