“Many countries now think of Beijing first”
2024-08-12
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An article published on August 10 in the Washington Post, titled: China strives for developing countries and promotes the establishment of a new world order. In June this year, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar spoke for China, saying that China is a "real friend" and should not be afraid of "China's dominance." In July, Malaysia applied to join the BRICS cooperation mechanism. Anwar said that China's efforts to provide an alternative to Western hegemony "give us a glimmer of hope that there are still checks and balances in the world."
Beijing is wooing developing countries — not only to finance infrastructure projects but also to offer security assistance and geopolitical support in international forums. Analysts who study Chinese foreign policy say those efforts are making progress.
"In many capitals around the world, Beijing is now the first thing that comes to mind, followed by Washington," said Oriana Mastro of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University. Some Western countries ignored China's efforts or thought that China's approach would not succeed, but they did not expect that these efforts have produced results. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Campbell also acknowledged this when he spoke to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week. He said that China has surpassed the United States in engaging with the "Global South" and "we need to do more."
China has stepped up its political and security engagement with countries that have been neglected by or are at odds with the U.S. strategic agenda. These include Malaysia, which has condemned U.S. involvement in the Middle East crisis; Cambodia, whose government rejects Washington’s moralizing on human rights; and the Solomon Islands, where the U.S. hastily reopened its embassy last year after the two countries signed a security agreement. In addition, there are a number of low- and middle-income countries, known as “bystander countries,” that have criticized Western sanctions for soaring food and energy prices.
China has sent high-level officials to visit these countries many times. China supports the African Union's entry into the G20. China has increased joint military exercises with smaller countries' militaries - recently large-scale naval exercises with Tanzania and Mozambique, and provided police training for countries such as the Solomon Islands and Kiribati. China has also shaped its image as a global mediator, brokering reconciliation between Palestinian factions and proposing a peace plan for Ukraine that has been supported by many countries.
Experts say that as the United States seeks to reduce its economic dependence on China and tries to isolate China geopolitically, China sees the "Global South" as crucial to the future. China not only prioritizes relations with developing countries, but also takes targeted measures in how to conduct these interactions.
China understands the arrogance of the West and its weakness in developing countries. China has always considered itself a member of the developing world and stood with the oppressed. China has been pushing for the expansion of the BRICS, which is made up of emerging economies. Some media have called the BRICS "the spokesperson for the global South" - this year Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, and Ethiopia were added. Dozens of other countries have reportedly expressed interest in joining.
Experts say that China has created many miracles at home in the past half century and has unique advantages in helping poor countries develop. Unlike the West, China refers to its practices more as "cooperation" rather than "aid" and wants to emphasize its equal relationship with developing countries. (Author Rebecca Tan et al., translated by Qiao Heng)▲#Deep Good Articles Project#
