Rise of the angry China

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Via The Australian:

China’s representative at the Pacific Island Forum in Nauru has stormed out of talks with forum nations after a dispute with host nation leader, President Baron Waqa.

The Chinese “dialogue partner” left the closed doors meeting after what was described as a “terse exchange of words” with Mr Waqa.

Nauru, which recognises Taiwan, had already angered the Chinese observer delegation by refusing to allow them into the country on official passports.

The diplomatic incident came as Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne urged China to heed the benchmarks set by Australia in the way in which it delivered aid to the Pacific.

For a rising great power, China sure doesn’t seem to have gotten the hang of the “speak softly and carry a big stick” approach to international relations. It appears to prefer the “speak loudly and spit the dummy” diplomacy in which it demands everybody do as it says or it undermines their ability to disagree.

The Pacific Forum is only one example. There are much more damaging episodes. The recent gross overreactions to the Australia’s more than reasonable push-back against Chinese bribery is one. Another is the defensive reaction to being called out for cheating on trade which led it to miss the chance to do a deal with the Trump Administration before the conflict mushroomed.

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One wonders what has happened to the smooth and friendly face that we’ve become accustomed used to. Is the dominance of Xi Jinping somehow responsible? Is it his style? Or is it his more strident power projection is producing a backlash that China is not yet mature enough to manage?

I don’t know. But it is not a great look for the power of inexorable and peaceful rise.

About the author
David Llewellyn-Smith is Chief Strategist at the MB Fund and MB Super. David is the founding publisher and editor of MacroBusiness and was the founding publisher and global economy editor of The Diplomat, the Asia Pacific’s leading geo-politics and economics portal. He is also a former gold trader and economic commentator at The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, the ABC and Business Spectator. He is the co-author of The Great Crash of 2008 with Ross Garnaut and was the editor of the second Garnaut Climate Change Review.