China's complicated neighborhood

• Source: The Global Times/Xinhua
• [00:23 May 27 2009]
• Comments

As a large country with both land and sea territory, China has complicated problems and disputes with its neighboring countries, ranging from issues of sovereignty and borderlines to energy and strategic deployment, all of which are entangled.

Besides the intertwined bilateral and multilateral relations among big and small countries in Asia, China also faces an increasingly complex situation due to US influence in the region.

On Monday, North Korea tested a nuclear device, following its first such test in 2006, making China’s neighborhood an even more complicated one. Creating a strategy for reacting to and dealing with the North Korean situation will benefit regional peace and stability.

China’s best bet is to formulate proactive, straightforward responses to dealing with its neighbors, especially when controversial or sensitive issues are at stake.

China’s reluctance to directly confront disputes and intractable issues with neighboring countries creates an opportunity for other small Asian countries and even some big powers from outside the region to involve themselves and make complicated situations even worse.

A host of small countries looking to contain China’s growing strength have already sought to involve other foreign powers in their situations.

China must send a clear message to these small countries that the involvement of other nations does not guarantee the achievement of their objectives.
 
Furthermore, China should express its sincerity in promoting regional peace and its unwavering commitment to developing neighborly relations and cultivating bilateral trust.

China is also going to have to learn how to deal with the US in the Asia. Major political shifts in the region inevitably provoke a corresponding response from the US, which seeks a balance of power in the region, an outgrowth of Cold War-era philosophies. The North Korean nuclear issue is essentially the result of past Cold War conflicts, making it hard for China to resolve.

How to assist neighboring countries to step out of the shadow of the Cold War and cultivate constructive relations with the rest of the world is a serious challenge China faces as it becomes a major international power.

Meeting the challenge will require all of China’s skill and wisdom.