On air: Has the West provoked a tougher China?
| 09:03 UK time, Friday, 2 April 2010
From and the , to the execution of and , it's hard to keep China out of the news. In this week alone, China's been back in the spotlight over the , and Beijing's indecision over , another strain on US-China relations.
So is this China being difficult? Or is the West to blame for China hardening its stance? That's the line from at Fudan University in Shanghai.
'Outsiders believe that China is hardening its foreign policy, citing a number of recent events. But from China's viewpoint, the United States and Europe have provoked it into taking a tougher position......The US and Europe must remember that China is like an adolescent who wants to be admitted to an adult's world, hoping for more independence and respect. If the West imposes unjust criticism or responsibility on China, it could be pushed it into a corner from which it would need to fight its way out.'
Is China simply taking a defensive rather than offensive position?
Dr. Junbo adds that at the core of China's attitude lies its desire to protect Chinese public interests. And in China's Global Times agrees.
Is there anything wrong with China's putting national interests first?
in The Hindu believes that we need to start trusting China more.
And Dr. Junbo offers some words of advice to the West in the same vein,
'If there is a change in China's foreign policy toward the US and European countries, it's not in principle but rather in style, and the fact that China is now being criticized for "toughening" its foreign policy is actually evidence that the West is listening more to China's voice.'Is it time to give China a break?
