China asserts clout as diplomatic heavyweight; justifies South China Sea reclamation work

From InterAksyon (Mar 8): China asserts clout as diplomatic heavyweight; justifies South China Sea reclamation work



Considered China's most influential foreign policy official, Yang Jiechi, a member of the State Council, or Cabinet, is seen in file photo. He was predecessor of Wang Yi as foreign minister. Wang Yi on Sunday spoke on a wide range of issues, asserting China's clout as diplomatic heavyweight, signalling it considered itself the US's equal and justifying, among others, the frenzied reclamation in the South China Sea. REUTERS FILE PHOTO

China asserted its place on the global diplomatic stage Sunday, pledging to steadfastly support Russia in the face of Western sanctions, scolding regional rival Japan, and making clear it sees the US as an equal.

Foreign minister Wang Yi, speaking to reporters at a packed annual press conference, staunchly defended China's national interests, while proclaiming that its rise is no threat to the international order.

He stressed that Beijing would not abandon old friends and allies such as Moscow, which is beleaguered under sanctions and international opprobrium, and Pyongyang, in recent years more often than not a headache for China's leaders rather than an asset.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to visit the US, the world's only superpower, later this year and Wang emphasized that the two countries are equals that must work to overcome tensions.

The two presidents were expected to "inject new momentum into efforts to build a new model of major country relations between China and the United States", Wang said, using Beijing's favored description of their ties, suggesting they are on the same footing.

"China and the United States are two large countries," he added. "It's impossible for there not to be any disagreements between us."

Wang vowed to deepen economic and diplomatic cooperation with Russia, even as it faces Western sanctions over the annexation of Crimea and the conflict in Ukraine.

Beijing and Moscow have regularly used their veto power on the UN Security Council to thwart Western initiatives such as on Syria's civil war, and Wang said they would "continue to carry out strategic coordination and cooperation to maintain international peace and security".

Sino-Russian relations were based on "mutual need," he said, and they would work to increase trade to an annual $100 billion a year while intensifying cooperation in sectors including finance and energy.

Oil and gas are crucial to Russia, which has suffered from the plunge in global crude prices, and Wang's comments suggest President Vladimir Putin -- with whom Xi has a strong personal relationship -- can count on Beijing's support.

Weight of history: Japan bashed

Wang stuck largely to Beijing's script, reserving his theatrics for traditional bete noire Japan, which received a finger-wagging denunciation over what Beijing sees as its recalcitrance over World War II history.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will only be welcome at commemorations Beijing plans for the 70th anniversary of the war's end if he is "sincere" about history, Wang said.

China-Japan relations have plunged over issues including territorial disputes and Japan's 19th- and 20th-century invasions, while China's Communist Party regularly stokes nationalism as part of its claim to a right to rule.

Abe is a nationalist who feels Japan has apologized enough and that after seven decades of peace has earned a right to be more assertive of its interests, including defense and sovereignty, as well as how it sees its own history.

"This issue has been haunting the China-Japan relationship," Wang said, pointing his index finger in the air and referring to the conflict, in which China says more than 20 million of its citizens died.

"Those in power in Japan should first ask themselves, what they have done on this score," he said.

Asserting claim on South China Sea

He was also defiant over Beijing's interests in the South China Sea, almost of all which it regards as its territory amid disputes with Southeast Asian countries.

Asked about reports Beijing was reclaiming land in the area, he said China was "carrying out necessary construction on its own islands and reefs".

"We have every right to do things that are lawful and justified," he added.

A career diplomat and expert on Japan, Wang assumed his position in March 2013 and is the face of Chinese foreign policy, the counterpart of officials such as US Secretary of State John Kerry.

He was speaking on the sidelines of the National People's Congress, China's Communist-controlled parliament.

China's most influential foreign policy official, however, is Yang Jiechi, a member of the State Council, or Cabinet, who was Wang's predecessor as foreign minister.

Wang also stressed Beijing's close historical ties with Pyongyang, which go back to the Korean War when Chinese forces guaranteed its survival.

But he also illustrated the challenge of dealing with the nuclear-armed neighbor and its youthful, often unpredictable leader Kim Jong-Un, the third generation in his family to helm the country.

Three years after coming to power Kim has yet to meet Xi, but Moscow said in January that the North Korean leader would be among those attending ceremonies to mark the 70th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany.

"As to when our leaders will meet it will have to suit the schedule of both sides," he said, implicitly acknowledging that no such encounter was likely soon.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/106496/china-asserts-clout-as-diplomatic-heavyweight-justifies-south-china-sea-reclamation-work