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Reference News Network, February 7th report: China's foreign affairs have been particularly busy recently. The U.S. Forbes website even said that China has almost daily laid out red carpets to welcome foreign leaders. From the end of last year to the beginning of this year, China has received several foreign leaders in a month and a half. French President Macron, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, Irish Prime Minister Martin, Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, Finnish Prime Minister Orpo, British Prime Minister Starmer have visited successively, and Uruguayan President Lacalle is currently on a state visit to China. According to foreign media reports, German Chancellor Scholz is also expected to visit soon. In reporting this wave of visits to China, many media outlets used the same word: "Looking East."
The phrase "Looking East" reflects the alienation of allies caused by American hegemony and the world's reflection. Hong Kong's South China Morning Post pointed out that the world's perception of the U.S. threat is shifting from gradual awareness to sudden realization. Trump administration's "America First" policy and the all-out trade war have prompted many countries to seek "breakthroughs." Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau frankly stated that the so-called "rules-based international order" has already "broken," and Canada has no choice but to reduce its dependence on the U.S., and visiting China is an important step in its "de-risking" strategy.
The shift of European countries is particularly obvious. Qatar Al Jazeera website said that this visit by Starmer to China was the first time a British prime minister had visited Beijing in eight years, and the U.S.'s tough attitude toward traditional allies was an important driving factor. During the visit, China and the UK reached multiple consensus. Why does Britain, as an ally of the U.S., also "look east"? BBC reporter Laura Bicker put it bluntly: "China doesn't engage in Western factionalism, it doesn't require other countries to show loyalty, nor does it require other countries to adopt its ideology."
The "Looking East" of American countries further expands the breadth and depth of this trend. The Latin American news agency reported that Uruguayan President Lacalle's visit to China focused on expanding trade with China amid global turmoil. He praised China as an important force contributing to global stability. The "Korea JoongAng Daily" website also noted that Lacalle's visit to China is a microcosm of Latin American countries' efforts to move away from reliance on a single major power and pursue pragmatic diplomacy.
The active "Looking East" of various countries stems from China's development achievements and cooperative sincerity. The U.S. Forbes magazine openly stated that the large-scale trade war initiated by Trump has severely backfired against the U.S. economy, while China continues to be the "ballast" of the world economy's stability. The UK's New Statesman magazine website lamented that China's external posture is more predictable and peaceful than Washington's.
In fact, in recent years, there have been waves of visitations to China in the international community. However, this round of visitation trend differs from previous ones in terms of richer connotations, which is "to slap the face" of the previous claims by the West to "decouple" from China, symbolizing the end of the era of Western hype about "decoupling" from China. The CNN website article pointed out that this is "a strong signal that Western leaders have finally regarded China as a reliable partner — in sharp contrast to the United States under Trump's leadership."
From Europe to Latin America, from developed countries to countries in the Global South, "Looking East" has become an international trend that cannot be ignored. It is unrelated to ideological alignment, does not get bogged down in geopolitical games, but seeks mutual benefit and win-win results. In an era of turmoil, seeking certainty; sharing opportunities in openness and inclusiveness — this is the will of the people behind "Looking East." (By Ping Yue)
Original: toutiao.com/article/7604006999549805091/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.