On Nov. 9th, Prof. Tang Xiaosong of GDUFS, chief research fellow of GRIIS, was invited by the Organization Department of Guangdong Provincial Committee to give a lecture to the "Training Forum for Leading Cadres of Guangdong". The topic is "the Strategy to China by the US after the Financial Crisis". The audience is mainly from the departments in Guangdong. The lecture focused on the evolution of the strategy to China by the US after the financial crisis which could be concluded as follows: from expectation to "cold peace" and then to opposition, till now the policy of "eastward movement of foreign strategy" with "containing China" as the core. Prof. Tang defined the "eastward movement of American strategy" as "multi-dimension loose containment", which was different from the "containment policy" of the last century. The US tried to strangle the development of the newly-founded Republic of China at that time, while today it seeks to hold down the rise of China. He described the two attitudes as "the US tried to attack China in the past while worries whether China will attack it now."
Scene of the lecture
The turn of American strategy to China reflects the change of the power of the two countries. Prof. Tang provided many cases in the report to prove that the "eastward movement of foreign strategy" had been carefully studied for four years before its implementation. Specifically, in 2009 when the financial crisis reached its peak, the US expected China to but its treasury-bonds and increase investment in order to revitalize the economy. However, after several rounds of negotiation, US became cold to the relationship. At the end of that year, the hawkishness in Obama administration prevailed. Since March, 2010, US policy to China changed again and started the containment strategy in the first half of 2011, resulting in the introduction of "eastward movement of foreign strategy" in the end of 2011 and its implementation in 2012. Prof. Tang stated that US was more dangerous in economic recession than in prosperous. He compares US as a leader of a gang, who is aimless when well-fed but irrational when in short of food.
According to Prof. Tang, the real intention of the policy is obvious even with the secretive handling of Washington officials. The basic thought is as follows. Deepen the relation with "old allies" like Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia and the like and build "sub-Alliances" with "new friends" like Vietnam and India, which would make military deterrence. Undermine the core effects of China in the Asian Pacific economic organizations through the promotion of TPP. The multi-dimension containment to China is relatively loose and covert compared with the earlier policy. It is because the strength of China has greatly grown.
Prof. Tang analyzed issues on the Diaoyu Island crisis between China and Japan, South China Sea and Huawei and Zhongxing. He thought the Diaoyu Island issue was a "dangerous gambling" directed by the US, who could stop it at any time. The ending depends on two aspects: The first is how much America could obtain from it; the second is whether it could keep the crisis under control. Huawei and Zhongxing issue reflects the "Fear of China syndrome", which is trade protectionism in surface and economic politicization as the underlying reason. In all, the US tries to create a worldwide public opinion to hold back the development of China.
So far, the Training for Leading Cadres of Guangdong organized by Organization Department of Guangdong Provincial Committee had been completed. Hu Wentao and Cai Hong from GDUFS was invited to give lectures earlier.
