It is the history of Asia that when white men with guns show up professing good intentions, Asians suffer.
The Asia Pacific region has come in for much attention in recent years. Most of it a transparent attempt to contain China and its spectacular rise, remember Obama’s pivot to Asia? The dominant narrative is that China poses an imminent threat to its near neighbours. Rarely do we ever hear from the inhabitants of the region regarding their feelings about the threat. For Westerners who are constantly bombarded with the anti-China rhetoric, it is understandable that they think the Asians are terrified of China and are grateful to their Western guardians for protecting them. Let us examine that.
To understand the mindset we must revisit some inconvenient history. With the exception of Thailand, all of the S.E. Asian countries have been the victim of Western colonisation. Vietnam, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia and China all suffered mightily under Western oppression. The Philippines, South Korea and Japan still host American bases and are de-facto client states as a result. Overwhelmingly the citizenry of these countries greatly resent this fact, countless anti-imperial demonstrations have made this plain, all ignored by minority factions in Government. It is the history of Asia that when white men with guns show up professing good intentions, Asians suffer. This has been the case for more than four hundred years and it persists to this day. Western rhetoric falls on deaf ears in Asia, every promise ever made to them by the West has been broken and they know that the west doesn’t regard or treat them as equals. Once again, they can see that they are being expected to suffer to serve Western imperialist interests.
Over the last 40 years the region as enjoyed a period of peace, stability and prosperity unprecedented in its long history. To be clear, there is much historical enmity in the hemisphere, Japan and Korea, Japan and China and others have a tragic history of conflict. There is little love and much residual resentment among them. There are disputes regarding the South China Sea, many of the countries have overlapping claims. The sea treaties that define the current maps are disrupted by all and recognised by none. These treaties were drawn up in the West in the post WWI era and were done without a single Asian present. They represented Western imperial interests, not those of the Asians. In the Asian way, they resolve these differences through diplomacy, no one is prepared to go to war over it. All still enjoy freedom of navigation, it is not the big issue that it is made out to be in the West.
When Trump first took office, he locked in on North Korea, while posing zero threat to America his interference in a long dormant issue was the cause of much uneasiness in the region. South Koreans as expected were particularly alarmed, the consensus view of the majority in this peaceful country was that they wished he would shut up and go home. Likewise, in Taiwan the majority accept that China wants peaceful reunification as it has clearly stated for more than 70 years. Despite constant provocations China has remained calm on the issue, which absent American interference, will likely resolve itself peacefully in time.
Japan has long been the reluctant local point man for America’s aggression against China. While the Japanese people are not friendly to China, China didn’t unnecessarily drop any nuclear bombs on them or occupy them and treat them as second-class citizens for the last 70 years. They have no interest in suffering further on behalf of the hated Americans. Japan and China have recently had productive bi-lateral meetings to dial back the American rhetoric. Left to their own devices the Asians will find resolution to their differences with reporting to hostilities. Obvious to all is that America is prepared to make sacrifices to contain China. It would sacrifice all its so-called “friends” in the region if it would slow China’s rise.
Parallels to the Asian situation can be found now in Europe with the manufactured Ukraine crisis. The Europeans are well aware that America sees the European interest in peace and stability as a threat to American hegemony. While Germany badly needs Russian gas and has heavily invested in the Nord Stream pipeline, America is prepared to see Europeans freeze rather than buy Russian gas. Its naked aggression in Ukraine seeks to provoke Russia into a conflict on European soil. Russia wisely has not taken the bait, much like China over Taiwan. The worst-case scenario for America is that the Europeans accept Russia as a peaceful member of the community of nations and continue to develop mutually beneficial economic ties. Without big bad Russia as the enemy, there is no need for NATO and the call for America to depart from all their European military bases would be resounding.
Any war with Russia or China would have unthinkable consequences for the world, and it seems clear that no one but America wants conflict. The Germans and French have been trying to make their own peace with Russia outside of the NATO clique. The NATO faction are Americas only real allies in Europe, this a Globalist faction, they don’t represent any countries national interest. The failing Empire is on its last legs, crumbling socially and economically at home, a war, any war, would serve as a useful distraction. It appears clear now that the Empire would see the world burn if it can rule over the ashes.
Dr. Eamon McKinney is an eminent Sinologist with more than 40 years’ involvement in China foreign business. He is C.E.O. and founder (1985) of CBNGLOBAl, his company has managed more than 300 major China-Foreign projects. He lives in Qingdao, China.
Strategic Culture Foundation