Antoaneta Bezlova

Chinese analysts had already sized up Condoleezza Rice before she made her first official visit to China this week as US secretary of state. They said she was a “wen guan” or “scholar” and likened her to one who commanded knowledge of the Far East and had a pragmatic approach at the same time — qualities seen as favourable to understanding Beijing’s regional ambitions. Comparisons were drawn to Rice’s advantage over her predecessor Colin Powell, who has often been described in traditional Chinese bureaucratic language as a “wu guan” or “military official”. Powell, said these analysts, knew firsthand about the balance of power in the region but lacked insight into the intricacies of Chinese politics. Chinese experts also held hopes that if Washington wanted Beijing to influence North Korea to get back to nuclear disarmament talks then the White House might give a tacit nod to China’s newly enacted law allowing force to be used against Taiwan, should it declare independence from the mainland. “It is a normal quid-pro-quo,” said Wang Xuedong, an international relations expert at Zhongshan University.

During her two-day visit to Beijing that ended Monday, Rice left little doubt that she intended to use her unique knowledge to further US strategic interests in Asia. Emphasising on every occasion that the US recognises China as a rising force in global politics, she made it adamantly clear that Washington intended to keep China’s military power in check. Throughout her trip, Rice’s unambiguous message was that in the face of China’s ascendance, US would support its ally Japan in Tokyo’s efforts to exercise more influence in the world. Speaking in Tokyo, she appealed to all US allies in the region to create a political environment that would induce China to eventually embrace democracy. And again, she spoke in opposition to the European Union’s plans to lift its arms embargo on China and warned of the need to counter a new Chinese threat against Taiwan. On Sunday, while in Beijing, she bluntly told the EU not to meddle with the balance of power in Asia. Rice’s remarks might have been nothing new to Chinese officials, but their hard-edged conservative resonance left many experts flabbergasted. They had expected Rice’s trip as something of an “exploratory” visit to gauge China’s views and were least prepared when the secretary spoke.

Wang Jisi, who researches North American issues at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, attributed Rice’s unyielding attitude to recent favourable developments in the Middle East that seem to lend support for the US cause of attacking Iraq to promote democracy in the region. Others, like Xuedong, reasoned that unlike the EU, which sees China these days as a trade partner, US would always view Beijing as a potential competitor. US officials are concerned that the EU is considering transfers of valuable weapons technology to China just when Beijing has indicated its hostile intentions towards Taiwan.

China last week approved an anti-secession law that asserts Chinese sovereignty over Taiwan. Its parliament also approved a 12.6 per cent increase in military spending this year. Rice was explicit on both developments. She publicly denounced the anti-secession law as an unwelcome development. — IPS