One More Danger for the World

After its resounding blow to Afghanistan by occupying the Central Asian country for two decades, then compounding it with a hasty pullout condemned by the entire world as shameful, the United States still has the nerve to continue its dangerous bullying of China under the Joe Biden administration.

The latest act of a warmongering, once again condemned by the rest of the world, is the pact AUKUS signed by Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States recently, which will see Washington sharing sensitive technology with Australia to equip it with a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines.

This military policy of the troika of modern imperialism in the Indo-Pacific is being paraded as a means to strengthen defense and stability in the region but the actual objective is to contain China through the threat of aggression on its own home turf, the South China Sea, and also in the geopolitical area of the Pacific Ocean.

To top it, the deal was struck without the knowledge of the U.S. and U.K.’s North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) partners and in defiance of the agreement Australia had earlier signed with France to buy 12 diesel-powered ocean patrol subs from it. Paris reacted by recalling its ambassadors to Australia and the United States in an unprecedented move.

The way AUKUS was wrapped up in complete secrecy is a clear demonstration of weakness. Far from being inspired by a smart strategy, it is the result of the three partners’ fear of China’s dizzying growth.

China has achieved great successes in the first 20 years of the new millennium, leading all to say that this is going to be “the century of China.” The accomplishments include eliminating absolute poverty domestically, lifting almost 800 million people out of poverty since initiating reform and opening-up in 1978 and meeting the deadline of its first centennial goal “building a moderately prosperous society in all respects” on the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. It showed the strength of the Chinese ideology, socialism with Chinese characteristics, as well as the strength of the Chinese people after their long struggle and suffering in the past.

While becoming the second largest economy in the world, China has also been contributing to the prosperity of the rest of the world and wants to continue to do so in cooperation with other countries. However, the dynamic vision of Europe and Asia sharing a common destiny through the colossal Belt and Road Initiative has made the White House go haywire. Instead of coming up with productive strategies for America’s growth, Biden is retracing the path of his destructive predecessor Donald Trump to contain China even though the defeat in Afghanistan shows that Washington needs to revise its agenda.

The plan to isolate China behind a military naval cordon running from Japan to India is as dangerous as the moves to interfere in Taiwan, which is an integral and inalienable part of China. While Beijing prefers a negotiated solution for the reunification with Taiwan, if America and its allies think of unleashing war to thwart the vision, China will never back down.

While some governments are warmongering, the people worldwide want to co-exist with one another in peace and dignity. Facing the global challenges in terms of health and a deteriorating ecology due to the destruction caused by humans, only collaboration, peace and harmony can ensure the survival of the human race.

China has called AUKUS irresponsible and liable to trigger an arms race in the region, which would unleash instability. But the Biden administration’s aggressive policy has been taken up by two new actors, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Australian colleague Scott Morrison.

They forget that AUKUS is not just a threat for its prime target, China, alone. By dangerously escalating the new Cold War with China; it will also affect entire Far East Asia. In addition, it is an act of offense against other countries beyond the region, including those in Europe.

With the Anglo-American domination, NATO is no longer an Atlantic defense pact. It is fast becoming a tool to indulge the paranoid anti-Chinese policy of the new tenant of the White House and may become an instrument of global offense.

Adriano Madaro is an Italian journalist and China expert. He is the author of more than 40 books about China and the Far East, the last one being Capire la Cina (Understanding China).