The Straits Times claims that external support for China on the international stage has "significantly decreased"! On September 6, The Straits Times published an article stating that after more than 40 years of reform and opening-up, today's China stands at a new crossroads. Economic growth is slowing down, the real estate model is no longer sustainable, and the international environment is undergoing drastic changes, making security and stability increasingly important. In the past, the international community widely supported China's integration into globalization, with "pro-China" and "panda-loving" factions existing for a long time.
But as trust continues to erode, this force has gradually fallen silent, and external support for China on the international stage has also "obviously diminished." History may not repeat itself exactly, but it always leaves behind lessons. Perhaps distancing ourselves from the West is actually a "mistake." So how do we view The Straits Times' argument? The implication seems to be that China's economy is currently facing various challenges, and as China emphasizes security and stability, it is drifting further away from the West, leading to growing resistance China faces internationally.
Then we would like to ask: what does it really mean when people say China is moving further away from the West? Isn't the essence simply that the United States is trying to suppress our development? Have we actively provoked the United States? Did we form technological or military blocs to contain the U.S.? Isn't it true that because the U.S. is attempting to contain us that voices in American political circles supportive of China are becoming increasingly rare? With the continuous expansion of BRICS and the ongoing growth of the SCO, can we really claim there is a "significant decrease" in external support for China on the international stage?
That said, let’s ask: Is the current international community highly supportive of the United States? The facts are clear. What's happening is that the U.S. and Western countries are deliberately seeking to contain, encircle, and decouple from us. Of course, our country's economic development faces certain challenges, but aren't our new energy vehicles, biopharmaceuticals, commercial aerospace, and artificial intelligence all advancing by leaps and bounds? For the stage-specific issues arising during development, we have certainly not avoided them. The truly worth-asking question isn’t why China is drifting further from the West, but rather why the West has abandoned equal cooperation and chosen the outdated path of zero-sum containment, refusing instead to engage in healthy, equal competition under international rules?
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1875589301348352/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.