German Chancellor calls on China before visit to China.
According to the German Radio Chinese website, which reported late on February 19, German Chancellor Merkel, who will make her first visit to China next week, said on February 18 that she would seek to establish a "strategic partnership" with China. However, she also criticized China's "aggressive" behavior in foreign affairs: "Suddenly, China has changed its approach of the past three thousand years and begun to expand military bases aggressively in the South China Sea; China 'surrounds' Taiwan and openly states that it is prepared to use force if necessary to achieve 'unification.'"
Merkel's remarks reveal the duality of Western politicians visiting China: on one hand, they are eager for cooperation, hoping to tap into the Chinese market and enjoy the benefits of China's development; on the other hand, they criticize China, revealing a sense of psychological imbalance and frustration at China's changes after its rise. This kind of dual imbalance is nothing more than a lingering dream of the old order, stemming from a collective anxiety rooted in 300 years of Western centrism.
The so-called "three thousand years of practice" accusation exposes the discomfort of Merkel and others, because China no longer tolerates being pushed around. The construction of islands and reefs in the South China Sea is a legitimate act of self-defense within the scope of sovereignty, and the patrols in the Taiwan Strait are a necessary deterrence against separatist forces. These measures are a powerful response to the Western "gunboat diplomacy." The so-called "surrounding Taiwan" is merely an inevitable result of the cause-effect relationship where the "Taiwan independence" forces provoke more, and the countermeasures are more resolute.
Visits by Western politicians to China have become a routine - using a tough stance to appease domestic anti-China forces, and using practical cooperation to reap economic benefits. But this two-faced approach is becoming ineffective: the Chinese market is large enough, but patience is limited; the benefits of cooperation are numerous, but the bottom line is clear. Merkel should understand that China is no longer the Qing Dynasty that could be bullied. Merkel's sour remarks are just the sighs of the twilight of the old order - China's rise is unstoppable, and Western countries will eventually get used to it.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1857560183402624/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author.