China Provoking Moves to Contain Its Aggressive Rise

By William R. Hawkins

After meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara in Hawaii Wednesday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she will press China to clarify its policy on the export of rare-earth minerals which are essential to the production of high-technology items from cell phones to precision guided weapons. Beijing has been restricting shipments to Japan since Tokyo detained a Chinese fishing boat captain near the disputed Senkaku Islands in September. The embargo has been expanded to America and Europe.

On Tuesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry defended the export restrictions,

It is China's sovereign rights to manage and control rare earth resources, which is also in line with relevant WTO regulations and conforms to China's WTO commitments. It's a common practice of all countries to restrict exports of key natural resources. Allegations against China in this regard are unreasonable.

The Chinese Communist Party newspaper Global Times defended the restrictions in an even harsher tone. "It is countries like the US and Japan that disobey business ethics. According to their mentality, they should be able to buy whatever they need in any volume at any time." the party newspaper argued, "Such practices of forced business are reminiscent of gangsters."

Ironically, the editorial suggested, "China should persuade the US to restart exploring its own rare-earth reserves, though the cost might be higher than importing them from China." China is estimated to supply 97 percent of the global demand for these metals, having used low prices to drive foreign competitors out of business. Washington should heed the advice and also apply it to a variety of other goods the U.S. imports from an untrustworthy trading partner and geopolitical rival.

The ruling party's newspaper has taken a very hard line since the dispute started. An Oct. 27 editorial claimed there was an "axis of evil" forming against Beijing.

Labeling China as a scapegoat for Western incompetence in fighting the financial crisis is not a creative move. By blaming China, some politicians are seeking to escape from their responsibilities.

These people are nationalists venting their anger to the media to win votes. Their anti- China public opinion alliance is gradually becoming an "evil axis of ideology" eroding world peace.

Two days earlier, an editorial celebrated the 1950-53 Korean War in which China intervened to preserve the Communist regime in North Korea and aid its attempt to conquer the entire peninsula.

Every Chinese citizen today is a beneficiary of that decision, because without a war that elevated China comparable to Western might, China may not have derived so much international respect and prestige.

Today, China enjoys a much more favorable status than it did 60 years ago. Warfare is no longer an unavoidable option in many regional settlements. The longstanding pursuit for a peaceful and humane world further reduces the possibility of a war between major powers.

However, this does not mean China can diminish its fortitude that once helped it survive Western animosity.

China, along with other emerging countries, will shift the global political balance. But the process must feature contention and clamor.

Beijing is clearly a revisionist power. It has long claimed that it wants to end "American hegemony." In response to a summer of aggressive Chinese actions, an "axis" is forming to contain Beijing's ambitions.

The United States should do its part to pull Japan, India and the smaller states of Southeast Asia together for mutual support. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has just finished a trip to Japan and is heading to Vietnam for a India-ASEAN summit. President Barack Obama will visit Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and India after the November elections. China has a right to be worried, but it must realize it has brought this reaction on itself.