Joint Pushback of China’s Unfair Policies Needed

Context: U.S. has castigated China for its colonisation of South China Sea (SCS), unfair trade policies, authoritarianism and increased territorial ambitions.

Chinese Threat

• Authoritarian policies to establish international order: by eroding freedom of Chinese media, academic and business communities and minorities.
• Interference in domestic affairs: of Asian countries by supporting regimes which toe its line, e.g., the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Nepal.
  • China hiked tariffs & imposed non-tariff barriers against Australian export, to cease public criticism.
  • China is using Tibet’s waters as a political weapon against India and providing arms, training and hideouts to terror groups operating against India.
• Increased annual military spending: by 800% since the 1990s to match US military capabilities by 2035 and defeat her in an armed conflict by 2050.
• Aggressive policies against US allies: divide the US from its allies and partners to counter revitalisation of trans-Atlantic partnership.
  • Chinese troops occupied Pangong Tso, Depsang plains and other areas in Ladakh on the apprehensions of India s getting too close to the US.
• Manufacturing competitiveness through unfair trade policies: like denial of market access, low-interest credit to its industries and stealing technologies from foreign companies for deriving unfair gains.

Measures Taken by U.S. Administration

• Rescinding Hong Kong’s special trade status: after China imposed its security laws.
• Reviewing China’s investments in critical technologies: in the US and blacklisting Chinese 5G giant Huawei and 34 other companies from acquiring sensitive technologies.
  • The sanctions on Huawei will hurt China’s ambitions to exploit the global 5G market and acquire supremacy in applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in military, defence and civilian industries.
• Curtailing visas of Chinese Communist Party members: from 10 years to one month.
• Ramped up freedom of navigation operations: in SCS and called China’s claims to sovereignty over most of the islands as ‘unlawful’.
• Criticised China’s aggression against India: in Ladakh and Australia and provided modern weaponry to India, Taiwan and other countries to push back China’s hegemony.

Way Forward

• Collective coalition building: against China’s hegemonic behaviour must be supported by US, Europe, Japan, South Korea, India and Australia.
  • EU sees China as a “systemic rival” and recognises India as a like-minded partner.
  • NATO and EU countries are becoming more receptive to the China threat.
• Create large transatlantic grouping: for economic cooperation and shift supply chain for essential items away from China.
• Increase technological and military capacities: of frontline states on China’s periphery.
  • Expanding patrolling in SCS, Pacific and the Indian Ocean regions.

Conclusion: Fight against China’s hegemony is a collective struggle for freedom, values, democratic societies and economies of free nations.