Competing for World Power

Cheung Lap had another excellent piece in his HKEJ column on 19 March 2009:

Since Zheng He (鄭和) [Note] began his seven expeditions to the Western Seas in 1431, China has never dispatched any forces to the distant oceans apart from making courtesy calls. 578 years later, in 2009, the Chinese Navy sent a small fleet comprising three vessels to the Indian Ocean to protect Chinese merchant ships in the Gulf of Aden. This is China’s first step in its march to the distant oceans.

This matter has historic meaning because hitherto the historical and reality perspective of the Chinese elites is “competing for power in the Central Plains”. They have never thought of reaching out from China to the world. Even the concept of “exporting revolution” in the Mao era did not actually gain any foothold overseas; and the focus was merely on “exporting”. After 2000, however, the perception in China started to change. It began reaching out to the world and had put idea into action.

There have been many “emigrants” from China since the Ming Dynasty. Poor farmers along the coast moved to South East Asia and the whole world for survival or to escape persecution. With a total population of close to 100 million, they have established roots locally and are known as “Overseas Chinese” around the world.

In the long stream of history, Chinese competition strategy revolves around resources and interests on the Chinese continent. But in the last 10 years there has been an important conceptual change among the elite class in Beijing and even the general population. It reckons that the survival and fate of China are already highly dependent on the global market and its resources. The national security of China is beyond the concept of defending national territories and the border.

More than 10 years ago, the elites in Beijing have talked about the Strait of Malacca and suggested constructing a canal in southern Thailand. It was a fresh concept among a few people at that time. Now such talks are all over town.

When there were boycotts for the problem in Darfur, Sudan, some perplexed friends asked, “What’s the matter?” Beijing establishing points in Africa has touched the interests of old empires such as Britain and France. These countries have suddenly realized the seriousness of the problem, and that Beijing, working hard to cultivate Africa, is not ruling out the emergence of “Chinese Immigrant Cities” in Africa according to Chinese metropolitan management models. Population is China’s biggest problem but it is also China’s most horrible strength. The rumour that certain countries in the east coast of Africa tend to systematically accept Chinese investment and immigration really touches the nerve of European and American countries. Exporting population is more horrible than exporting revolution.

[Note] Those who are interested in Zheng He (鄭和) and his seven expeditions to the Western Seas can visit http://melaka101.googlepages.com/chengho.htm.