Chinese Vice-Premier Qian Qichen recently pointed out that it is totally groundless for some people, eyeing China's rapid economic growth, to fabricate "China Threat" theory by saying China will develop into an expansionist country.
"Such a view sounds as if China would throw the world into utter disorder once it grew strong," said the vice-premier and also a veteran diplomat.
Qian added that it is utterly untenable to compare what Western imperialist countries did in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries with today's China, thinking that China is bound to expand and threaten its neighbors with a stronger national prowess.
These remarks of Qian's were published on the Studies of International Politics, issue No.1 2002, a public academic quarterly operated by the School of International Studies under Peking University, for which Qian acts as dean.
"Historically, there were indeed countries which engaged in external expansion as a result of the speedy economic growth, but it can't be said that all big countries will run on the same track once they experience a relatively fast economic growth," Qian said.
"High-speed economic surge will not bring expansion automatically."
First, not all external expansions are caused by fast economic increase.
In human history, some countries, though not on a fast track of economic growth and industrialization process, and with comparatively backward productivity, showed great expansionist ambition, like France in Napoleon times and Russia under the Tsarist reign.
What's more, countries plagued by economic crisis would possibly embarked on the road of imperialist expansionism, like Nazi Germany in the 1930s and Japanese militarism before and during World War II.
Second, rapid economic growth may not necessarily leads to expansion, like Germany and Japan after World War II.
"It is thus clear that linking rapid economic growth with external expansion simply by a superficial cause-effect reasoning will make it possible to come to a one-sided, or even extreme view".
Then the Vice-Premier referred, as an example of China's constructive role with its economic growth, to the impetus China, after starting its reform-and-opening-up process in the late 1970s, has given to the economic development of the neighboring countries and regions and how, after the eruption of the Asian financial crisis, the responsible practice by Chinese government has helped crisis-afflicted countries to recuperate their economies.
All these facts show China's rapid economic growth has brought new opportunities instead of obstructing and harming the development of its neighboring economies, Qian said.
Qian gave a vivid metaphor: "China's economic prosperity does not mean taking away neighbors' rice bowls, but enlarging their kitchens, which is to their benefit".
Primier Qian cited more examples by saying China has solved the boundary issues with Kazakhstan and Kirghizstan, signed boundary treaty with Tadzhikistan, demarcated most boundary lines with Russia and signed land boundary treaty with Vietnam and signed the Beibu Bay demarcation agreement.
Qian emphasized that "All these were accomplished in the past few years. This also shows that China, which enjoys rapid economic growth, has neither engaged in external expansion, nor seek to do so, instead, it has devoted its efforts to living in peace its neighbors".
Qian further pointed out that for China, the prior task is to focus on economic development, which requires stable international and domestic markets and good neighboring and international environments.
Only through friendly ties and cooperation with the other countries can China gets the necessary external environment for domestic construction.
"China's growing strength must be achieved by peaceful development, which is China's fundamental interests as well as a long-term basic state policy that will never be shaken".
As for the Taiwan and Tibet issues, two topics running wildly hot in western media, Qian said they are the questions of China's state reunification as well as maintenance of sovereignty and territorial integrity, not at all questions of expanding.
China's overall national strength has witnessed obvious growth, but we must stay somber-minded over this, for China is still quite backward in many aspects, said the vice-premier.
The general modernization and people's education remain low with tens of millions people not yet well fed and clothed.
"So we don't have the capital for expanding, and China's socialist nature decides it will not expand, nor does it have the necessity of expanding," Qian said.
"Only by seeking common development with other countries through cooperation based on equality and mutual benefit, can we merge into historical trend and protect China's national interests truly and substantially."
(People's Daily April 23, 2002)
