Daily Archives: 05/05/2016

Opinion

Super powers should cooperate for a better world

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Xuefei Chen Axelsson

After Iraq War in 2003, I gave up talking about international politics, because I thought the super power broke the international standards and took unilateral action. The world was full of power politics and hegemonism.

With the rising of China, the triangular relations between China, Russia and the United States should be a model for world peace if they can cooperate with each other.

However, the development seems not to develop towards people’s will. The US economy get worse and worse after 2008 dragging the world economy down. The European economy has been even more worse and worsened even more by the refugee issue.

But how come there was refugee issue? Where has the refugees come from?  Here there are two explanations: one is that the United States has tried to support the Arab Spring movement. Most of the European countries also support it. But they don’t understand the color revolution can only bring about chaos at the beginning. These chaotic situation caused a lot of people flowing to European countries.  A lot of them used to be the opposition in their own countries.

For examples, the refugees coming to Sweden are from Somalia, Iraq and Syria in recent two years.

Why Syria? In Syria, the United States supported some opposition organization against the Asad regime.  But the opposition was very weak. Then the Syrian government asked Russia to help to crack down some Islamist terrorist groups who fought against both the government and the opposition.

The latest information we get is that Russia didn’t bomb the terrorist groups, but the opposition or other groups causing a flood of refugees coming to Europe through Turkey.

With the strategy of supporting opposition, the US strategy successfully created these chaotic situation because the sovereign government in those countries couldn’t function properly.

With Russia suports the government, it means the conflict between the US and Russia actually caused the conflict between different groups in the third country.  Thus that country Syria is suffering from all these changes and a lot of people come out of the country hoping to find a peaceful and better life in Europe.

Similarly, the US presence in Asia seems to cause trouble too.  The US claims that they are kind hearted and take good care of some small countries defence by being present in those countries such as South Korea, Japan, the Philippines and other countries. America claimed that they are worried that Asian countries will fight each other and they should take care of those countries because they worry about China which is a big country.

But China as a big developing country has never invaded any country in the world. Its culture has decided that it has been focusing on its own land its own country for a long time.

Now with the development strategy of one belt and one road, China hopes that the surrounding countries will be happy to have a good and strong neighbour to provide good trade with them.  But many people exaggerated China’s power and said China’s rise threats the others.  In fact, China’s rise brings better opportunities for the surrounding countries. China likes to build more infrastructure for surrounding countries so that they can trade with each other.

But no one knows if it shows the weakness of the US or its dominant idea supports its action. It is as if an old person who is relatively weak will really like to manage to do things.  But it is just this kind of presence or support for some small countries that cause problems for China.

If the US, Russia and China can cooperate rather than confront each other or challenge each other, the world will be much better.

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South China Sea Islands belong to China: Li

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By Xuefei Chen Axelsson

STOCKHOLM, May 4(Greenpost)– Overseas Chinese leaders in Sweden Wednesday gathered at the Chinese Embassy in Stockholm to discuss the situation in the South China Sea.

DSC_9412Li Junfeng, Charge D’affair at the Chinese Embassy said at the gathering that he has heard some western reports proposing such questions such as South China Sea Islands are so far away from Chinese mainland, how can that belongs to China?

“The territories and jurisdictions are not decided by how far it is away from the mainland. Hauwaii sits far away from the American mainland, but no one can deny that it belongs to America.  In fact, South China Sea Islands belong to China since ancient times. China is the first to discover, name and develop these islands. Chinese government exerted its sovereign rights over these islands. Chinese government has published the names of these islands in 1935, 1947 and 1983. ”

During the Japanese invasion and occupation of China in the 1930s, the islands were temporarily occupied by the Japanese. But after the Second World War when Japanese was defeated by the Atomic Bombs thrown in by the Americans, China took back these Islands with the observance of the United States and the International Communities. It was well recognised by the International Communities.

There were no disputes before the 1970s. However,  after the 1970s, the Philippines illegally occupied eight small islands through four military actions causing the South China Sea dispute.

In 1999, the Philippines sent a ship to an island there and left there. When the Chinese side went to ask them to leave, the Philippine side said they lost a screw in the ship. They would leave later when they get the ship repaired.  But that was an excuse. Since then they never left.

Now the Philippines claimed that they occupied the island since then. But the Chinese side holds that the Philippines action was illegal. He criticised the Philippines action of illegally occupying some islands.

He also said that China insists on solving the dispute through peaceful negotiations and ASEAN countries should work together for a common prosperity in the region.

“China believes in that saying: Relatives from far away is not as useful as a neighbour which lives nearby.  Let alone China and the Philipines share similar oriental culture. Sooner or later, the friendly relations between the two countries should be resumed, and that should be the right track,”  said Li.

“China has never changed its stance of leaving dispute aside and achieving common development,” said Li.

His stance was supported by the Chinese in Sweden.

DSC_9433James Wang, President of the Chinese Federation of Industry and Commerce in Sweden said South China Sea Islands belonged to China since ancient times. It is hard to believe that other countries claim them.  China has the full right to protect its own territories.

DSC_9437Peiqun Ye, Executive Director of Swedish National Federation of Chinese Associations said as China grows stronger, the dispute will be less. He hopes that in a couple of years, the situation will change for the better.

DSC_9439Liran Yang, former chairwoman of Stockholm Chinese Cultural Association said all the women of the Chinese origin or second generation should exert their influence by giving true explanation of Chinese history and evidence that China owns the South China Islands.

DSC_9429Yuli Wang, Vice President of the Swedish Chinese Federation of Industry and Commerce said he doesn’t rule out the possibility that some people are jealous of China’s develepment over the past years and want to disturb the peaceful environment China enjoys.

Jisheng Wang, honorary Chairman of Swedish Chinese Federation said China has no doubt to hold its bottom line about the South China Sea Islands which belonged to Chinese since ancient times.

“The Philippines has been colonised many times by other invaders, but with China, similar to other parts of China, the Philippines used to pay tribute to the Chinese. It is right not to recognise the Philippines’ unilateral action about the South China Sea Islands,” said Wang.

About 20 Chinese leaders of various associations in Sweden attended the talk and expressed support for China’s stance on the so-called South China Sea issue.

For Chinese it is not an issue, but other countries around the South China Sea began to claim some islands and even occupy them illegally.

DSC_9395Li Junfeng said the Philippines claimed Huangyan Island and other smaller islands belong to them. But the fact is that according to the Paris Treaty signed in 1898, The Washington Treaty signed in 1900, British and American Treaty in 1930, the Philippines’ western border lies in 118 degree in longitude.  And Huangyan and other Islands lie in the west of 118 degree in longitude. After the Philippines got independent, its national law recognizes the relevant treaties about its territories.

In 2013, the Philippines sued China to the International Arbitration Tribunal in the Hague. China accused the Philippines went against their promises of solving the problems through bilateral negotiations.

It is hoped that the current Philippine presidential election will vote out the Aquino government so that the South China Sea issue calms down.

Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Walström said at least the South China Sea area is in peace. In deed, China has actually played a great role in stablizing the Asian situation and bringing prosperity in the region with the focus on  booming economic development.

Many people in China actually think the government was not tough enough in dealing with the dispute. But many wise Chinese drew the lessons of American invasion of Iraq.

It is easy to enter into a war, but it is difficult to withdraw from the war.  “Man can say that they won the war but lost the peace,” said Li.

He said hegemonism doesn’t work because China is still a developing country and China needs a peaceful environment for economic and social development. Some super powers have taken impulse actions and created a lot of enemies for themselves. That is not good for a harmonious world.

China still embraces the idea of building a harmonious world with its neighbours and all the people who love peace.