China's wealth is what scares the West
- Source: Global Times
- [21:54 April 10 2011]
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By Stuart Wiggins
A poll released on March 27, conducted by GlobeScan and the Program on International Policy Attitudes, reveals rising levels of concern within many of China's key trading partners, especially within the G7, regarding the country's increasing economic power.
In France, Canada, Germany, Italy and the US, the survey found the majority held a negative image of China. Great Britain and Mexico also saw a drastic worsening of China's image, though overall opinion still remains positive.
Aside from Mexico, these nations all have one thing in common: They form the bedrock of the modern developed world.
Their fears stem from a sense of historical superiority, and mirror the natural reaction of changes within the landscape of international politics. The concern expressed is not the manifestation of people or governments advocating another path, but rather should be expected with the rise of any nation.
US wealth and arrogance led to a worldwide negative opinion of the world superpower.
In 2006, GlobeScan released the results of a survey revealing that the US had climbed off the bottom spot as the most negatively viewed country worldwide. This was only achieved thanks to Iran's inclusion within the sample for the first time.
As the sole superpower for many years, the US is constantly being scrutinized. This same level of scrutiny is now also being placed upon China thanks to its gradual transition toward becoming a "stakeholder" within world politics and the global economy, rather than an onlooker.
A hardening opinion within European countries has been aided by increased media coverage of the Chinese economy. Concerns by US officials over the allegedly artificially inflated value of China's yuan, a complaint as much about trade as it is about quelling domestic agitation over unemployment, has unfortunately led to China being portrayed as a currency manipulator, strong-arming the world economy at a time of worldwide hardship.
But China is a victim of its own success. In a world dominated by Western media outlets, no amount of diplomacy can prevent China from receiving censure.
However, despite the almost inevitable backlash which must come from a rise in power (be it economic or otherwise), there are aspects of the survey which are particularly telling.
A number of countries and regions, such as China's immediate Asian neighbors and the African states polled, already see China as their most important trade partner, while many more feel that trade relations with China will be their most important in a decade. There is a sense of optimism, therefore, within the rest of the world regarding China's ability to maintain steady growth.
Furthermore, these indicators are acceptance of a new world order, grudgingly or otherwise.
This acceptance embodies a spirit vastly different in nature from the Cold War which dominated the political landscape from 1945 until 1991. The US and the Soviet Union were ideological enemies, whose leaders both had their fingers on the nuclear buttons.
Monday's world sees a system whereby all sides are interconnected. Thankfully, globalization has made large-scale conflict even more costly than ever before, virtually guaranteeing that peaceful relations will prevail between the world's existing and emerging superpowers, regardless of ideological differences.
Only 35 percent of people polled felt that China practices unfair trade policies – not a particularly stunning revelation given the nature of media broadcasting and US scapegoating over the currency issue. The figure is only 7 percentage points higher than the number of respondents who felt that US trade practices were unfair.
What is particularly interesting about this survey is that it also covered military expansion.
However, when the BBC reported the results they only paid attention to the fears which have resulted from China's economic rise.
This is a clear reminder of what really worries the elite of the West: the loss of economic standing, and the knock-on effect that China's growth will have on their own jobs.
The author is a freelance writer based in Beijing. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn
