Source: Global Times
The article "China Doesn't Need a Free Kick" was published on April 14th on the Australian website "Pearls and Irritations." The original title is: "China Does Not Need a Free Kick." Western and Australian observers believe that the U.S. has given China an opportunity to score with a free kick, thereby tilting Asia in China's favor. The U.S. has also expanded this free kick opportunity to Pacific island countries deceptively described as the "Australia-Pacific family."
In fact, China does not need a free kick, meaning China does not need to rely on the U.S.'s ill-conceived policies to engage with Southeast Asia. Long before America caught the attention of Europeans, China had been interacting with these regions for centuries. Contrary to some Western views, this is not China's recent attempt to expand its so-called "hegemony." It is a historical relationship reflecting the harmonious spread of Chinese culture across the region. The notion that China needs a free kick to succeed in Asia highlights a severe misunderstanding of Southeast Asian history.
The U.S. signing of so-called "Compact of Free Association" terms with Pacific island nations binds the Marshall Islands and other powerless Pacific atolls to the U.S., opening the door to nuclear destruction and pollution of local lifestyles. The Marshallese have been and remain unwilling "guinea pigs" to endure lasting radiation poisoning.
To China, the U.S. imposing tariffs on Southeast Asian countries is not an opportunity for a free kick offensive. Southeast Asia has many Islamic populations, and they are shocked by the U.S.' selective application of the so-called "rules-based" global order regarding Israel's ongoing war crimes in Gaza. This is the U.S.' own "free kick" attack, undermining Western standing and so-called "moral authority" in Southeast Asia. Indiscriminate tariffs increasingly deepen distrust of the U.S. and its policies and intentions.
The U.S. imposing tariffs on economically insignificant Pacific island nations is merely another imperialist kick showing indifference to rising sea levels. These nations have no choice but to silently endure; if China can offer some assistance, it is better than being trampled on at will - whether or not it is a free kick. In short, China does not need to launch a free kick offensive to succeed, and the U.S. scoring an own goal is welcome. (By Daryl Guppy, translated by Wang Huicong)
Original Article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7493307568912105999/
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