Thursday, April 27, 2006

Bilaterale verhoudings


Ek lees vandag in die Straits Times hier in Singapoer 'n LANG, maar baie interessante artikel oor China en die onlangse besoek deur die Chinese president aan Amerika. Die besoek was aan die gang terwyl ek daar was, en daar was elke aand op die Chinese staats-TV lang stukke oor die 'vreeslike suksesvolle' besoek en beeldmateriaal van kindertjies met blomme wat Hu omhels, ou mans by fabrieke (die Boeing-fabriek byvoorbeeld) wat Hu omhels, agtergrondstukke in die Chinese koerante oor Hu wat sy 'sagte' kant gewys het ens. ens. Die Amerikaanse media het sonder om te skroom die besoek as 'n mislukking beskryf, geen vooruitgang gemaak is op enige belangrike punte nie. En daar was vele vernederende oomblikke soos betogers wat op Hu geskreeu het, die Taiwannese volkslied wat gespeel is eerder as die Chinese volkslied (dis dinge wat ek eers gehoor het nadat ek China verlaat het). In elk geval, dit laat my maar weer eens glimlag oor die wereld van bilaterale verhoudings en hoe dieselfde prentjie heel anders aangebied word, afhangende van wie praat.
Vir diegene wat regtig belangstel, hierdie artikel, die een wat in die Straits Times was, is besonder interessant. Dis geskryf deur 'n strategiese vooruitskouings-kenner, ek weet nie wie die skrywer is nie, maar die artikel is vol insig. Dit verwys na China wat besig is om al meer 'n buitelandse vyand te soek (tipiese reaksie wanneer 'n land interne probleme ondervind - weens die verskriklike armoede op die platteland raak die Chinese regering al meer bekommerd oor 'n revolusie), en die vyand is Japan. Hier is 'n uittreksel:
The Geopolitics of China
April 25, 2006 21 45 GMT
By George Friedman
Chinese President Hu Jintao visited Washington last week for a meeting that diplomatically might be called "nonproductive" -- or, realistically, "disastrous." Not only was nothing settled, but a series of incidents -- ranging from a reporter shouting insults at Hu and being permitted to continue doing so for three minutes, to an announcement that the national anthem of "The Republic of China" (also known as Taiwan) was being played -- marred the visit, to say the least.
En hier verskyn 'n Chinese weergawe oor die besoek, met 'n uittreksel:
US visit was fruitful, says FM
(China Daily)
Updated: 2006-04-24 15:01
President Hu Jintao's visit to the United States was "fruitful" and a "milestone" in bilateral relations, Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said on Saturday.
During the four-day visit, President Hu conveyed the idea that China and the US are "not only stakeholders, but also constructive partners."
Speaking to reporters aboard the special plane which took Hu from the United States to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Li said the president's US visit yielded important results.

3 comments:

lolla said...

En dis wat die land aan die ander kant van die straight daaroor te sê het (van die Taipei Times): Ek hou veral van die laate paragraaf. Dit laat my sommer baie rustig slaap.

Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) failed to score points against Taiwan during his recent US visit and China's rise poses a longer-term threat to this nation and its people, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) told the Wall Street Journal Asian in an interview published yesterday.

"Because the US government's stance is firm, President [George W.] Bush did not let China score points on the Taiwan issue during the meeting," Chen said. "President Bush did not say anything to surprise us and for that we are very grateful."

Chen told the Journal that the Bush-Hu meeting highlighted four issues -- human rights, "one China," Taiwan and economics.

First, Chen said, it was a serious concern when a well-educated Chinese woman, Wang Wenyi (王文怡), yelled at Hu as the Chinese leader began to deliver a speech on the South Lawn at the White House last week.

Her protest reflects not only China's suppression of the Falun Gong and religious freedom but also its notorious human-rights record, Chen said.

Second, Chen said he thinks it was not an innocent flub when the White House announcer mixed up the national anthem of the Republic of China (ROC) with that of the People's Republic of China (PRC).

The mistake was made, Chen said, because of the "one China" concept, which confuses the international community.

Third, the US and China have different attitudes toward Taiwan although they both embrace "one China," Chen said.

While China "strongly opposes" Taiwan independence and sets unification as its ultimate goal, Chen said the US government "does not support" Taiwan independence but it does not preset any stance or conclusion for Taiwan's future.

Finally, he said it was debatable whether the Bush-Hu meeting has had any positive impact on the two countries' trade imbalance.

He said people will have to pay attention to China's impact on the global economy when the "sleeping giant" awakens.

Despite China's indifference to Taiwan's goodwill gestures and Beijing's passage of an "Anti-Secession" Law, Chen said his government is still willing to engage in dialogue with Beijing under the principles of sovereignty, democracy, peace and equality.

He said he hopes China would respect and accept the fact that the ROC is an independent, sovereign state and that it would respect the free choice of the 23 million people of Taiwan about the country's future and cross-strait relations.

The president called on Beijing to resolve cross-strait disputes through government-to-government contacts and dialogue, lambasting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) for joining forces to seize power in 2008.

He said that after he was elected in 2000, China waiting for the opposition parties to succeed with their impeachment campaign. After he won re-election in 2004, China waited for him to be unseated by two lawsuits filed by the losing pair, former KMT chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜).

Now, China is teaming up with the opposition to engage in a "soft decapitation" campaign to vilify his government and its leaders, he said.

"Even if the KMT retakes power in 2008, I don't believe cross-strait relations will improve," he said.

Chen, however, expressed appreciation to KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) for the Taipei mayor's support for a "reasonable" arms procurement package, saying that it marks a good beginning for the long-stalled plan.

Chen said that he realizes that it may take a while before the legislature gives the arms budget the go-ahead, but if lawmakers keep trying, he anticipates the legislature reaching a consensus on the issue by agreeing to at least part of the project.

Stressing that Taiwan will never launch the first strike and start a war in the Taiwan Strait, Chen said the country must strengthen its national defense capability.

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Daar's ook 'n berig oor die nuwe paleis wat China ten volle befonds het vir Togo se president. Natuurlik is die bedrag 'n geheim.

rondloper said...

Baie interessant. Het jy die lang artikel gelees wat ek gepost het hier? Dis werklik lank, maar baie interessant. Al wat ek kan wys word uit die koerante hier is dat die paleis multimiljoen dollar gekos het.

lolla said...

Die link werk nie, mens moet inlog, maar het wel die boring artikel van die Rooies gelees. Ek dink die manne hier lag lekker in hulle moue vir die ou van Washington se blaps met die volkslied! Op die nuus hier het hulle die ou vroutjie oor en oor gewys. Sy het 'n perskaart deur al die normale kanale in die hande gekry, en toe tussen die joernaliste en persfotograwe gaan staan en gil met so 'n aaklige rasperstem. Dit moes weke se beplanning geneem het. Die president het net aanhou praat asof dit nie besig was om te gebeur nie. Lyk my hy is goed geoefen om goed net te kan ignoreer.